


Camp Spoopernatural

by Sadreel (SPCMRose)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: All Human AU, Camping, Comedy, Dean’s POV, Dean’s POV- third person, Faked character death, Gadreel’s nickname is ‘Zeke’ because of a Disney movie, Horses, Humor, M/M, Murder Camp, Pranks, blood tw, creepy groundskeeper castiel, dean saves the day kind of, depictions of violence, i know nothing about horses, it’s just a prank bro, non!hunting AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 09:12:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10303205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SPCMRose/pseuds/Sadreel
Summary: Welcome to Camp Spoopernatural {Novak Range}Do you want to scare someone half to death? Need to exact revenge or find a surefire new prank? Or do you just want to have some good fun with a few friends? Then Spoopernatural is the place for you! Not only do we feature 4 cabins that can suit up to parties of 16*, but we also include a range of incredible packages to suit your needs.Check them out here!When Sam spots an advert that gives him the perfect opportunity to prank his brother Dean, he can't resist. Although, it doesn’t turn out quite like he’d hoped.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly never thought I would finish this fic. This project has spanned 3 years, on and off because I'm a mess.  
> I have a few people to thank for helping me complete this fic.
> 
> First, the talented [allovely](http://allovely.tumblr.com/), for being absolutely incredible and creating art for this fic.... and picking me in the first place! You can find the art masterpost [here~](http://allovelyart.tumblr.com/post/158418261178/so-i-participate-in-the-dean-winchester-bigbang)  
> Second, the wonderful [lovelybenny](http://angeldean.co.vu/), for not only being a fab beta, but a great friend as well.  
> Finally, the ever helpful [brokenmasquerade](https://brokenmasquerade.tumblr.com/), for basically making sure my fic was legible and made even a modicum of sense.
> 
> Of course, I need to give a shoutout to [deanwbigbang](http://deanwbigbang.tumblr.com/), for running this show in the first place. Without the pressure of a challenge, this fic never would have been finished.

 

 

 

* * *

[](http://allovelyart.tumblr.com/post/158418261178/so-i-participate-in-the-dean-winchester-bigbang) 

* * *

 

 

 

Welcome to s̢̬͚̪̺͈̪͚͍̖͕̟̖̋̅͌̈̈́̄̈́̽̾͌̇̒̀͑̚͜͜͝ͅp̡̭̝̦̖̲̹̮̳̜̣̥͔̬̲̻̉̉͛̈̒͗̏̌̂̑̈́͋͗̈̈̈́͠ͅỏ͕̙͖̣͎̭̘͚̖̬͍͕̞̦͙̤̈́͂̀̽̓̿̆͑̓̾̂̽́̈́̚o̢̧͚͕̖̥͓̻̥̬̖͉̞͇̙͙̅͗̌͑̿́̔͗́̑̐̎̏͘̚͝p̢͇̯̪͔̟̳̲̭͍̭̳͕̩̩͗́̅̇̂̀̔̋͂̽̚̚̚̚͜͝͝ẽ̢̮͎̠̗̹̩̙̙͇̹̟̬̰̯͍̥͊͊̓̓́̊͐̈̐̽́̈́͘̕͠ŗ̨̛̹͕̙͉͓͖̼̱͎̤̦͙̠̃͗͊̿̈̒̔̿̒́͆͂͗͗͘͜͜͝n̡̨̝͍̙̗̗̲̰̙̠͕̲͎̭̮͚̅͛̋̆͗̀̓̉̌̋̏̆͆̏͛͘͝ȁ̛̛̼͍͙̩̻̱̮̦͓̦͔͙̩̫̱̻̿̀̉̍̔̽̅̈̋̍̾͘͝͠ͅt̳̦͎̬̱͍̩̟̟̻̙͚̠͖̯͉̅͛͊̏͛̾͛̉̓́̒̚̕͠͝͝͝ų̪̯̖̫͙̪̹͔̙̻̰̻̘͖̬̇̑͊͂͋͗̎̐̃̈́̏̾̐͐͘͝͝r̢̡̪̺͎̰̲̞̖̗͈̱̰̣͚̘̼͌͒̀̀̀͛̅̽̒̈́̑͛̚͘͝͝͠a̡̡̯̖͙͓̠̮͍̰̬̙̫͚̰͎͐̋̋̓̒́͊̊̈́͛̄̇̿̍̈́̿̔l̨͇̘̠̫̤̦̩̤̙̪͇̬̫̜̬̒̆̊̅́͌̽̓̇̊͛̾́̕͠͝ͅ {Novak Range}

 

Do you want to scare someone half to death? Need to exact revenge or find a surefire new prank? Or do you just want to have some good fun with a few friends? Then _Spoopernatural_ is the place for you!

Not only do we feature 4 cabins that can suit up to parties of 16*, but we also include a range of incredible packages to suit your needs. Check them out here or go ahead and navigate through the links above!

 _How does it all work?_ you ask, well, see here...

* * *

**From: Balthazar Novak (jfccelenedion@spoopernatural.com)**

**To: Me (samfckingwinchester@sogetthis.com)**

Hey Sam,

Thank you for the information, my brothers and I will go through it shortly. In the meantime, attached is the schedule for the package you requested. I will be sending the script when it is ready.

Do let Gabriel (trickster@spoopernatural.com) know if any additional living arrangements need to be made. Also contact my other brother if you have any problems with the scheduled ‘scares’ (itscasnotcass@spoopernatural.com).

Please be aware that times are subject to change, they are not always 100% accurate but we will do our best to adhere/adjust to fit them.

_Opening attached file..._

Saturday

_As we understand there may be difficulties arriving at a set time, we may adjust today’s schedule accordingly. Please let me know if there are any issues._

14:00:: ETA. Groundskeeper visible on entry to Spoopernatural {Novak Range}.  
15:00:: Allocated time for settling in. Gabriel will visit Dean and warn about groundskeeper.  
16:00:: Group meets in main cabin, Balthazar to officially welcome everyone.  
17:00:: Free time.  
18:00:: Dinner. Groundskeeper will stare through window and Gabriel will get up and hand him plate of raw steak.  
19:00:: Group to enjoy campfire outside. Gabriel and Groundskeeper to be seen having an argument.  
22:00:: End of the first day.

Sunday

09:00:: Breakfast. Groundskeeper will write threatening message on wall in blood for Dean to wake up to.  
10:00:: Horse-riding.  
13:00:: Lunch time. Gabriel to argue with Groundskeeper again.  
14:00:: Movie of group’s choosing in the main cabin.  
16:00:: Free time.  
17:00:: Dinner. Distinct lack of groundskeeper.  
19:00:: _Horror night_ begins in the main lodge.

* * *

Dean wasn’t allowed to drive his own God-damn car; that was the first sign that something was up. See, he had spent a real long time rebuilding his baby after their dad had crashed it, mangled it beyond repair. Dean had taken up the challenge when he’d turned 15, learning the ropes quickly and getting the Impala into the shape she’d deserved.

Bobby had said he’d worked a friggin’ miracle.

So yeah, excuse him for being a little bit pissed (and suspicious) that Sam had practically _forced_ him into taking shotgun. Never again was he going to give into those stupid puppy eyes of his. It didn’t help that he hardly ever got to drive her now that they’ve moved to Palo Alto.

“I still don’t get why _you_ have to drive us there. Just let me GPS it or–”

“No!” Sam snapped- having long since had enough of Dean’s ‘whining.’ (At least, that’s what Sam always claimed it was.) “For the last time Dean, I’m driving up and you can drive back. Why can’t we share the load?”

“You make it sound as though I don’t like driving.” He happened to _love_ driving, especially if it was his cherry ‘67 Chevy Impala.

Did Dean mention he was really proud of his car?

“I think you should both leave it be,” Gadreel commented from the back. Zeke was always the peacemaker. It was at times frustrating yet incredibly endearing.

Yeah, Dean called Gadreel ‘Zeke.’ It was a long story that involved beer pong and a re-enactment of _th_ e _Princess and the Frog_.

Maybe he’d get to telling it one day.

Dean caught Sam glaring at his boyfriend via the rearview mirror. A silent argument ensued between the two. It was always kind of uncomfortable to witness their non-verbal conversations, not that Dean wasn’t used to it by now. It’s just that _that_ was his lil’ bro making goo-goo eyes at what had been (and still was, admittedly) one of his good friends.

Dean cleared his throat– what? He’d given them a whole 60 seconds. That was generous for him.

“Fine,” Sam curtly stated, though to whom Dean had no clue.

“So how much further is this place?” Dean asked, not wanting the vehicle to lapse into awkward silence. He kind of wished either Charlie or Kev were there to break the tension, but they’d left in a separate car because they had to go pick Benny and Adam up. Dean had to admit, Baby didn’t really have room to fit more than 4 fully grown adults, at least not comfortably.

That was her _only_ flaw. Shh.

“I believe that we should be nearly there,” Gadreel answered. “Although I did not factor in if we got lost.”

Sam huffed. “I’m not gonna get us lost.”

“Of course you are not,” Gadreel replied. Dean couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or placating. Placating, Dean would guess given the dopey smile that bloomed on his brother's face.

Eugh.

“If you two love birds don’t mind, could ya’ save it for your private cabin?”

“Still bitter you’re bunking alone?” Sam teased, falling into their brotherly dynamic as easily as he fell into his head-over-heels-in-love mush.

“Hey, a man does enjoy having a space all for himself,” Dean lied. He was still pretty damn _bitter_ about it all, thank you very much. But he wasn’t about to start ‘whining’ to Sam about it again.

“I am sorry that we could not fit you in with Charlie and Kevin. I did try to convince the owner that you three would not abuse the privilege but I am afraid their policy is very clear--” Gadreel began.

“--Only two per cabin,” Sam finished for him. Weren’t they just an adorable couple? “And Charlie wanted Kevin for some sleepover deal.”

“And Benny ‘n Adam dibbed the cabin with the pool table, I got it.” Dean wasn’t exactly mad at his two buddies for ditching him like that. More often than not he spent more time with them individually, rather than together, so he supposed their retreat to the ‘awesome’ cabin was well overdue.

Still, Dean kinda thought they’d ask him first. Considering…

“If you want I am still more than happy too–”

Dean cut Gadreel off before he could finish. “Nah, Zeke. S’all good. You two enjoy your little couple’s retreat. No need to split the resident lovebirds up.”

Gadreel still seemed reluctant. He looked into the rearview mirror to catch Sam’s gaze, like he was unsure about something. Dean left them to it. It was probably some weird couple-y thing they had to sort out.

Silence descended. Dean took the opportunity to break his sacred rule of ‘driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole,’ and fiddled with the radio. When it finally flicked over to Bad Moon Rising by CCR, Dean cheered and smirked at Sam.

The first thing Dean noticed, as Sam turned down an unassuming side-road, was the sign hanging overhead to greet them. It read; “Novak Range.”

“It appears we have made it,” Gadreel stated.

“Nice sign,” Dean commented as they drove under it. The letters appeared to be dripping, making the ‘v’ in Novak look like a ‘Y’. “It could use a little less blood red.”

The fact that the road seemed to disappear into darkness didn’t exactly help. Hell, it was barely sundown and Sam had to put the headlights on. There were no buildings in sight, and as far as he could remember, there’d been no other homesteads since a good few miles back.

It was all very... isolated. Which would be good if it wasn’t so creepy.

“I don’t know,” Sam hummed. “I think it looks cozy?”

“‘Cozy’?” Dean repeated, incredulous. His brother was nuts.

Sam didn’t honor him with a reply.

Bitch.

“I’m starting to think you didn’t really check this place out before booking us in.” Dean commented, as he stared up at an unending series of willow trees shading their entry. “So far I’m getting a very Hitchcock vibe from all of this. Someone is gonna jump out and stab us. Where’s the dramatic violins when you need ‘em?”

“Nothing’s gonna jump out and stab us, Dean,” Sam placated- sounding far more exasperated than he ought to be.

“I’m just saying, this place ain’t no five–” Dean found himself trailing off as they emerged from the weeping willow horror show and pulled into the middle of… dare Dean say it, _Heaven_. “...Nevermind.”

Well, not Heaven exactly, but the numerous cabins and lush fields made the place look like something out of a Disney movie. There were even some birds chirping and swooping around cheerfully.

Despite the ‘princessy’ vibe to it all, it was far better than the entrance had made it out to be.

Also, his change in attitude may or may not have been assisted by the shadowed figure that leaned against one of the cabins. Dean greedily took in the man’s appearance.

From this distance, he could see the guy’s toned legs and lean form. There was an endearing mop of black hair atop his head and Dean was very tempted to run his fingers through it.

“Do you think it matters where we park?” Gadreel questioned from the back, drawing Dean from his reverie.

He shrugged after a beat. “This place is a _range_ right? I’m sure that means there’s plenty of room to go ‘round.”

Sam parked the car and the three men clambered out.

Gadreel gravitated to Sam’s side, their hands entwining in an act parallel to that of two leads in a cheap rom-com.

He chuckled to himself at the sight. He’d always known Sammy was touchy-feely, but it still entertained him to see the same from Gadreel. Finished with staring at Sammy and his boyfriend, Dean turned back to where he’d seen the shadowed figure. If he could just catch one more look–

“Good afternoon, gentlemen!”

Dean spun around to see a man with a bright smile, arms wide in greeting. He had a polished look about him, though with a bit of scruff around his chin, wearing a suit that was way outta place in the middle of a range. Kinda weird, but Dean could dig it.

“Hey. I’m Sam, this is Gadreel,” Sam stepped forward with an outstretched hand. The newcomer shook the two love birds’ hands first, as they were closest.

“Balthazar. It’s a pleasure,” the man- Balthazar- replied. He turned to Dean, slight smile still on his face. “And you are?”

“Dean,” Dean answered, matching Balthazar’s smile with his own.

He held out his hand.

The man’s eyes seemed spark for just a second (probably because of the sun) before he reached out and took Dean’s hand. “Ah. Well, welcome to Novak Range.”

Right… Okay. Dean was getting some serious creep-vibes from this guy. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, though it might’ve been because of the suspicious gleam to Balthazar’s green eyes. Dean cleared his throat and released the man’s grip, tucking his hand into his pocket. “S’nice place you got here.”

“Yes…” Balthazar looked around. Dean did as well, noticing the fountain a few feet away, the row of orange trees further off and, perhaps most importantly, the distinct lack of a figure by the cabin. “You should see the interiors. We’ve had them refurbished recently.”

“Oh, about that.” Sam stepped forward. “Did you get my memo?”

“About how we could take out a bed from one of the cabins? Indeed.” Balthazar glanced at Dean.

Sam smiled. “Ah, nice. That’ll be Dean’s.”

Balthazar nodded. “I see.”

Dean, feeling like he was missing something, decided to turn the conversation in his favor. “Hey, there was a guy standing out by that cabin like a few minutes ago. Who was that?”

Balthazar’s lips seemed to twitch for a fraction of a second before he answered evenly: “Castiel. He’s the groundskeeper for the range. Also my brother. He’ll stay out of your hair whilst you’re here.”

 _Castiel_ , Dean repeated mentally. He liked the name. Quite a bit, actually.

Gadreel and Sam shared a _look_.

Dean was about to ask if he _had_ missed something, when they were interrupted by the sound of a car pulling up behind them.

Charlie pulled her Camry into a spot by the Impala. It was a disgrace to have that _thing_ by his Baby. Dean had offered plenty of times to fix her up a classic, but she’d denied him each and every time.

“Oh my _God_ !” Charlie cried as she hurried out of the car, eyes wide and mouth stretched into a huge grin. “This place is _awesome_!”

“Right?” Dean said with a breathy laugh.

“I don’t know…” Kevin trailed off. “Does it have wifi?”

“Probably not. Three-G?” Benny suggested, closing his door with a nudge of his foot.

Adam climbed out and leaned on the roof of the Camry, chin rested on his hands. “I was kind of thinking it’d be more… y’know, ranch-y?”

“There are horses further out,” Balthazar commented. “Oh, and the cemetery.”

“Cemetery?” Dean asked, because what the fuck?

Evidently, nobody seemed to think it was that big of a deal as the conversation carried on around him.

“I’m getting too old for being cramped up in the backseat for hours on end.” Benny complained whilst he stretched his back and popped joints, skipping over Dean’s inquiry.

Dean decided to let it slide. He’d just avoid the cemetery, no biggie.

Kevin rolled his eyes. “You’re twenty-three.”

“Maybe you should just procure your own vehicle if you do not want to worry about that,” Gadreel suggested.

“Except you failed your driving test four times in a row,” Sam teased.

Dean cackled. He’d near pissed his pants when he’d first found out Benny had failed his 1st driving test- and it only got funnier each time after that.

“Shut your trap,” Benny grumbled and walked around to the back of the Camry. He popped the trunk and started hauling out bags in a noticeably aggressive manner. Dean felt only a teensy bit guilty.

Kevin wandered over to Gadreel and Sam, the three of them began conversing about the fact that Kevin was about to take his driving test soon enough. Dean took the chance to head over to the Impala to get his stuff out of the trunk. He assumed one of the others would come keep him company, considering they hadn’t hung out in forever. Dean had been way too busy at work the past couple of weeks.

Instead they went to introduce themselves to Balthazar.

 _Alright, makes sense_ … Dean thought as he grabbed his duffle. He’d let Sam and Zeke grab their own crap.

When he looked back up, half their group had vanished. Dean was confused about their abrupt disappearance for a moment. He rationalised to himself that they must’ve been tired from the trip and had to retreat... or something.

Sam and Gadreel remained, conversing with Balthazar.

Dean walked up, waited his turn and then asked: “So which cabin am I in?”

“Over there,” Balthazar pointed and Dean followed the line of sight.

 _Son of a bitch_ , Dean swore mentally. His cabin was the one on the very end, further away from all other buildings, like it was contaminated and in isolation or some shit.

He supposed that at least he wouldn’t have to hear his brother and Gadreel get up to whatever couples did on a vacation.

Yeah… Maybe it wasn’t _so_ bad. Dean still felt a bit disorientated though. Wasn’t the point of these things to hang out and party? Why was his cabin so _freaking_ far?

“Nice,” Sam said. Dean glanced at him, and began to think perhaps the whole ‘his brother was nuts’ assumption wasn’t that far off. “Looks cozy.”

 _Cozy?_ Dean thought. It looked the opposite of cozy, in the back of the field and on its own, painted with dull colors and awned with spiky tips. It was whatever, though. Dean wasn’t about to let one (maybe a few more than one) set back ruin his time off.

“Mhm,” Dean hummed in a purposely obscure fashion. “Who’s in the other cabins?”

“That one is the main cabin,” Balthazar explained. He pointed to a building not far from them. Now _that one_ was cozy. “It’s where the staff stay, and where most meals will be held. You’ll find recreational activities and supplies within.”

“That one’s ours, right?” Sam asked. He nodded towards the first sturdy-looking cabin.

“Correct. Following that one, in order, will be Adam and Benny’s cabin, then Kevin and Charlie’s.” Balthazar gave them a moment to process, and then addressed them once more. “Do you all have a copy of the schedule?”

“The…?” Sam began, but trailed off. His face did a _thing_ and Dean considered calling up the nearest health clinic.

“The times for activities, meals…” Balthazar hummed. “I suppose not. Here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “I can print off more.”

Dean was about to be suspicious that his normally anal-retentive brother had forgotten to get a copy of the schedule. His worries were absolved, though, when Sam caught up with the program. “Oh, wait. Yeah. I’ve got a copy. Dean, you take it.”

“Sweet.” Dean accepted the sheet. He folded it open and skimmed it, a bit surprised. He hadn’t realised there would be actual _activities_ planned. Things like campfires and honest-to-God horse riding.

“Any problems?” Balthazar asked. Dean was a bit disturbed by how intense the man’s gaze was at that moment. Heck, even Sam and Zeke were looking at him, awaiting his answer.

“Um, none that I can see right now.”

Whatever test that was, he must’ve passed it, because Balthazar grinned. “Brilliant. Now, if you’ll let me walk you to your cabin. We’ll get this show on the road.”

Dean’s cabin proved to be the second sign that something wasn’t right.

Balthazar unlocked the door to his temporary home-away-from-home with an old timey bronze key. “This door is a bit fiddly,” he explained. “It unlocks with this, and we only have the one since our last guest lost the copy. Don’t worry, though. There’s a knob on the inside, but do try not to lock yourself out. Although, of course, nothing bad would happen if you did.”

With that creepy remark, Balthazar strolled off.

Dean might not get to stay at places like this all that often, but he was pretty sure guests were supposed to have a key to their room. Or in his case, cabin.

Shoving that worry aside, Dean went ahead and opened the door.

What greeted him was a fairly normal looking room, that is to say, _room_. Dean frowned and made his way inside, door creaking as it closed behind him.

Sure enough, the appearance of his new dwellings did not change once he had both feet planted firmly inside. It was a bedroom, with a small ensuite to the left, and a stand-alone cupboard. Suffice to say, Dean was a tad bit confused. Weren’t cabins supposed to have more than one room? Weren’t they supposed to have at least a proper entryway?

Dean was left to wonder how two beds were supposed to fit in there in the first place.

As he moved around the bedroom to explore, Dean came upon a hole in the wall. An… _actual_ hole in the wall. It wasn’t that all that big, but it disappeared into the deep dark void of nothingness and lost-possessions. Someone must have been working on fixing it, because as Dean looked around, he noticed the circular saw resting on a workbench that was off to the side.

Dean, not at all nutty like his brother, realised that having an open saw just lying around, was both a serious safety hazard (it was _spiky_ ) and more than a little creepy. He searched for something to help him deal with this problem, and as the resourceful 26 year old male he was, he managed to without difficulty. He snatched some painter’s cloth off of an oblique shape without giving it a second thought, and draped it over the saw.

Appeased, he dusted off his hands and spun around.

It turned out what he’d uncovered was far more daunting than a common carpentry tool.

A bear. A giant, hulking bear that had beady glass eyes and a maw that was gaping wide, as though roaring. Even Dean had to admit he’d jumped back in fright shock at the sight of the beast.

“Jesus,” Dean said to himself. He circled the creature, then poked it, then tried to imitate its expression. He predictably failed in that feat, or at least, was unable to manage it without looking stupid.

“You my friend, are one fugly mofo.”

Dean didn’t quite know how to deal with this discovery. He really _did not_ want to have to go through the effort of covering it back up, but at the same time, the bear had probably been covered for a reason. As to why it was in the middle of his room, Dean had no clue.

Being one to make the most out of a situation, Dean ambled over to where he’d left his bag, and searched through it. After a moment of searching, he pulled out a battered baseball cap that his brother had given him. He walked back over to his new furry friend and appointed the hat on top of the bear’s looming head.

“There. Much better.”

A rapid series of knocks on the door grabbed Dean’s attention.

The door creaked once more when Dean opened it.

A man stood on the other side, and for a moment Dean considered the fact that this might be Castiel. “Hi,” Dean said. With a subtlety he rarely ever truly achieved, Dean checked the man out. He had a bit of a mustache growing, hair long and tucked behind the ears. He was shorter than Dean, and was dressed in a plain polo and jacket combination.

Also, his legs had nothing on Castiel’s towers of glory.

“Yo,” the man responded after an uncomfortable pause. “Name’s Gabe.”

“Dean.”

“Balthy’s always adamant about me greeting our guests.” ‘Gabe’ took a peek inside of Dean’s cabin, and squinted his eyes as though in disgust. “I see you got the good room. You’ll have to excuse the renovations. Castiel’s always been a bit of a slacker, but lately…”

When Gabe didn’t continue, Dean figured the man wanted something from him. “Uh, Yeah?”

“Well, not to speak ill of my brother, but let’s just say he’s become a bit… distant.”

Now, normally Dean isn’t one to gossip, but when it comes to the man whom he very much wants to know more about: he’ll bite.

“Distant? How so?”

“He spends a lot of time alone, part of the job. Now though, he hardly even talks to me or Balthy. To be honest, we’re pretty worried about him.” Gabe shared that pearl of wisdom with a grave expression, and in a tone far more sinister sounding than Dean thought necessary. “Anyway, just try not to talk to him, he doesn't like attention.”

Dean quirked a brow. “Okay. I'll keep that in mind.”

“You do that.” Gabe held Dean's gaze for a long moment, his heavy stare had Dean shifting uncomfortably. “Alright then. I'll see you around, Dean.”

“Bye,” Dean returned. The man left in much the same way Balthazar had. Dean could see the resemblance.

He considered retreating back into his cabin, but recalled the schedule tucked into his pocket. He pulled it out and checked it.

Sure enough, he was due for an intro in the main cabin in… 5 minutes.

Dean sighed and stepped out into the sun. He let the door close behind him with its familiar creak that was rapidly becoming a comfort.

As he made the journey from the middle of nowhere to the main cluster of buildings, Dean caught up with Charlie and Kevin.

“Hey Dean!” Charlie greeted him with a wide grin. “How're you liking your vacation so far?”

“Well…” Dean faltered. “It's certainly been a new experience.”

“That's good to hear,” she replied. If she'd noticed his hesitation, she didn't let it show.

“Our cabin has a TV in it,” Kevin commented. He'd changed from baggy road-trip clothes to something more casual. Dean probably should've done the same. Unfortunately there'd been a bear to deal with.

“That's cool. Does it work?”

“Yeh but some of the channels are fuzzy. I'm glad I brought my laptop. I downloaded a whole bunch of movies to watch.”

“...Illegally,” Charlie added.

Dean looked at her. “You say that as though you don't do it yourself.”

“Not with movies,” Charlie defended weakly. “I have Netflix for that.”

“We all know you're more of a book buff anyhow,” Dean added.

Kevin waved them both off. “Downloading is the way to go. When Netflix runs off with your money and takes all their shows and movies with them, where will that leave you two?”

Charlie and Dean shared a look, before answering simultaneously: “stealing your laptop.”

“No way,” Kevin glared at them both. “You'll never take her from me.”

“Her?” Dean parroted, sending a wink to Charlie.

“Ugh!” Kevin groaned and then rushed past both of them to head inside of the cabin they'd arrived at.

“Think he'll ever grow up?” Dean asked.

Charlie hummed thoughtfully. “Not if he keeps hanging out with us.”

Dean tried to summon up some kind of indignation at her words, but had to give it to her. “Good point.”

“Guys!” Sam waved at them from the doorway, sticking his gigantor head past the frame. “Hurry up!”

Dean gestured, catching Charlie's gaze. “After you, madam.”

“Why, thank you, kind sir.”

Charlie headed inside and Dean followed a step behind. The place they walked into wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It was a lot more lobby looking though, with an atmosphere that was only enhanced by the welcome desk in the first room.

“Hello again,” Balthazar greeted from behind the counter. He shuffled some papers, but did not break eye contact as he did so.

Dean was seriously starting to get a creepy vibe from the guy. He returned the greeting but quickly moved on to where his friends were seated.

Charlie joined him on a loveseat, and they sat across from Dean's brother and his boyfriend. Benny was hovering nearby, and Kevin had claimed a seat all to himself.

Dean frowned, feeling like he was forgetting someone.

“Sorry,” Adam apologised as he hurried into the room. He took the seat next to Kevin and worked to smooth down his disheveled state.

“You haven't missed anything,” Sam said.

Dean took a moment to look around. There was a wall of windows to his side, and he'd just caught the sight of a figure walking across the grounds when Balthazar entered. “Afternoon, everyone.”

A round of half-hearted responses filled the air. Dean spared a moment to join in before looking back out the window.

The person was no longer anywhere to be seen.

“I'm happy to announce that everything is going on schedule.” Balthazar’s voice drew his attention again. Dean felt a bit disgruntled at losing sight of someone who must've been Castiel. “Now, I'll just quickly introduce you to another member of our staff, my brother and head chef--”

“Only chef,” Gabe interrupted as he emerged through a side door.

“...Yes,” Balthazar’s lips thinned. “This is Gabriel. He's also in charge of making sure all of your rooms are in order, although he doesn't often do the best job of it.”

“Balthy you wound me.”

Balthazar huffed. “Introductions aside, I've scheduled this meeting to address a few rules for your stay on Novak range. First of all, the woods are strictly off limits, unless you are accompanied by either Gabriel or myself…”

Balthazar continued on, but Dean grew distracted by the figure re-emerging from seemingly nowhere. It drifted steadily closer to the building Dean was in, and it let Dean better make out what he now registered as a trench coat, and the man who was wearing it. His hair was a black mess upon his head, and what must've been a five o'clock shadow hugged his angled cheekbones. The man’s legs were once more in view, and his sleeves were rolled up so Dean could just make out the flex of his forearms as he carried an axe.

Dean stared, unabashed. The man, who was surely Castiel, appeared for all intents and purposes, smoking hot- in a rugged and understated sense.

If only he would venture closer, then maybe Dean could--

“...Are there any questions?”

All eyes turned to Dean, though some tried for more subtlety than others.

“No,” Dean said. He refused to mention the fact that he’d completely zoned out on all of the rules. That would just  earn him a bitchface from Sam _and_ Gadreel. The double whammy.

“Great. Well, that is everything, and if I remember correctly, you all have free time now.”

“Sweet,” Adam cheered. He stood and stretched, arms arching in a ‘v’.

Kevin followed suit, and pointed at Benny where the man stood near the door. “You and me. Pool table, _now_.”

“Oo,” Dean grinned in excitement. He fucking loved pool. “Can I get in on that?”

“Sorry, brother.” Benny didn’t look all that torn up over it. He then wrapped an arm around Kevin as the kid came to stand at his side. “I promised little shorty here a rematch. One on one.”

“Can I get in on the next one?”

The two shared a look. Then Kevin shrugged. “We’ll probably go best out of three.”

“Kevin here is a bit of a sore loser.”

Dean ignored the small sting of hurt that he felt at how quickly his friends were leaving, not wanting to make it into a big deal. He was aware of the others nearby, and all of them were listening in. “Yeah.” Dean managed a weak chuckle. “I think everyone ought to know that by now.”

Kevin groaned, but didn’t protest as Benny dragged him out of the room, waving farewell to Dean as he went.

Anxiety chewed at Dean as he turned to see if any of his other _friends_ wanted to hang out.

The room was empty.

“Assholes,” Dean said, to empty air and bitter thoughts.

Dean exited the cabin, expecting to see at least _one person_ on his way. It seemed, though, that everyone had managed to find somewhere to run off too. The place was friggin’ deserted.

He considered his options, and quickly decided against trying to track anyone down. If they wanted to hang out with him, they would’ve said something when Benny and Kevin were turning him down.

His cabin was in much the same state it was when he’d left it. Dean shut and locked the door behind him, not wanting to be disturbed in his sullen mood. He tugged off his jacket, a cheap knock-off compared to the true leather masterpiece that was packed away in his duffel.

With nowhere obvious to hang it, Dean strolled over to his old pal Mr. Bear.

“You cold?” Dean questioned both his bear, and his sanity. Talking to inanimate objects wasn’t a good sign, in Dean’s book. “You look kinda cold, you’re all… bare.”

No one was around to laugh at his pun.

“Here,” he said. He flapped out his jacket before draping it along the bear’s bare back. It fit snugly, and Dean tied the sleeves around the mammals’ neck.

Satisfied, Dean ambled over to the bed and collapsed back on it, spread eagle and stretching in all the good places. He figured he deserved a few moments to just rest; it was a vacation, after all.

His hopes of some peace and quiet were dashed, however, when the loud buzz of some kind of machine rang through the air. It cut sharply into his ear drums, and set his brain pulsing behind his eyes.

Damn.

Dean let out a long, suffering sigh as the sound continued and didn’t seem to want to stop anytime soon. He considered his options.

As his neurons were slowly firing to life, it occurred to Dean that the noise was coming from the woods nearby. What reason would there be for a machine operating in the woods, if not for the groundskeeper to perhaps be… doing his job?

He then discerned that it would be a perfect chance for him to meet Castiel. There was no one around, a fact that Dean was still bitter about; no one to stop him from venturing into the woods.

It was the one, and only rule Dean had managed to recall from Balthazar’s earlier announcement. He found that he really didn’t feel all that bad about breaking it.

The air was crisp as he stepped outside, the chilly wind sent goosebumps spreading along the skin of his arms. Dean debated the merits of grabbing his jacket from his duffel. On one hand, no more cold Dean, on the other hand, the effort of having to walk back inside.

Dean huffed, resolve settling. He was a man, a grown ass man. He could handle a little low temperature.

The woods were edged with thick shrubbery, and Dean was disturbed to note that the border between the flat range and wilderness was barely ten steps from his cabin. Did snakes ever venture that far onto land? Dean shuddered as the image of a hissing python entered the forefront of his mind. He was now beginning to regret not swapping with Zeke when he’d had the chance.

Despite his fears of the unknown, Dean entered the woods with as much courage as he could muster. The sound grew louder as he approached, ducking under overhanging branches and stepping over exposed roots. Dean had gone camping a few times with his brother, back when they were younger and still had dreams of running away and starting their own rock band.

He was very grateful for that fact as he ventured ever deeper into the thick foliage. Dean could barely hear his own thoughts over the sound of what he’d recognised to be a chainsaw. Surely that meant that he was–

Dean pulled up short. He slowed his pace, creeping carefully towards the arching limb of a young birch tree. Through the ‘Y’ shaped bend of the branches, Dean spied on Castiel.

The man, still cloaked in his trench coat, was focused on limbing a downed tree. Dean watched in rapt attention as Castiel worked, and with the guy’s lean muscles in easy view, he certainly had a lot to admire.

At least until he was caught in the act.

Castiel had paused to take a look at what he’d managed to get done, and then moved to look up at the sky. As his gaze was travelling up, it snapped to where Dean was hiding… and staring. Blatantly staring.

Dean bit back an embarrassed yelp and instead raised his hand with a wave in an attempt to be casual. “Hey.”

Judging by Castiel’s reaction, Dean had missed his mark.

The chainsaw was turned off soon enough, and Castiel plucked the ear muffs from the top of his head. Accepting his fate, Dean skirted around the tree so he stood opposite the groundskeeper. He tucked his hands into his pockets, not because he was worried he’d begin to nervously flail or something equally horrific, but because it was cold.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Castiel said- and wow. Out of all the ways Dean had imagined the man’s voice to sound, it certainly wasn’t with a gravelly, deep and inappropriately erotic tone.

“Sorry,” Dean apologised without remorse. “I got lost.”

Castiel cast him an unappreciative expression, blue eyes (and God were they blue) narrowing in suspicion. Or he was just squinting because of the last vestiges of sunlight.

“How rude of me.” Dean felt kind of stupid, trying to have a conversation with a man who didn’t even know his name. “My name’s Dean. I’m staying in the cabin on the end.” He gestured in the vague direction he figured was right, which only caused Castiel’s brows the furrow. “And Balthazar said your name was Castiel…” Dean trailed off.

As wonderful as it felt to let Castiel’s name just roll off of his tongue, Dean felt like it was overly formal for the guy he _really_ wanted to get to know better. “Cas. Can I call you Cas?”

Cas didn’t say a word. Dean figured that meant he’d received the go-ahead.

“Great. Well, Cas. I can see you’re hard at work. I’ll just, uh, leave you be.” Dean had begun to feel a bit unnerved under the unending stare of sapphire tinted eyes.

It was almost like he wasn’t supposed to be there.

When Castiel made no move to stop him, Dean spun on his heel and stomped off back the way he’d came. He berated himself over how stupid that had been. What did he think he was going to accomplish? Just because _Dean_ was on holiday, and had time to slack off and chat, Castiel did not. Jesus, Dean wished he possessed even the same amount of the natural ease he had with chicks when dealing with men.

A sharp whistle broke him from his internal anguish. Dean turned and found Castiel _right behind him_.

He was so close that Dean could see the darker flecks of azurite in the pools of his eyes, trace the blend between soft skin and five o’clock shadow.

Dean decided that personal space was definitely a foreign concept for Castiel. Which was both a problem and _definitely_ not a problem.

“You are going the wrong way,” Castiel announced in an even tone.

Then he raised his hand, and for one wild moment Dean thought he was going to get punched- or slapped or…

Castiel’s forefinger pointed off to Dean’s left, and yeah, maybe the enclosing shadows of sundown were getting to him.

“Ah. Got it,” Dean flashed Castiel a relieved grin. “Thanks man. I probably would have kept walking and wound up lost with no food, no water. My internal compass is a mess, I always have to GPS it. Y’know?”

Once more, Dean’s question was answered with silence. Although, Castiel did lower his hand.

Dean didn’t walk off right away, though. Instead, he searched the other’s gaze for… something. Anything, really. For whatever reason, Dean felt like he was missing a big piece of a ridiculously easy puzzle.

Oh well, he’d never been the brains of the Winchester clan, although he had always given it his best shot.

Before Dean had to put in conscious effort to abandon Castiel’s proximity, the groundskeeper spared him the trouble by leaving. His trench coat flapped in the wind as he walked away.

Kevin and Adam were waiting for him when he made it back to his cabin. They rested, shoulder to shoulder against the wall. They were conversing in low, hushed voices that silenced as soon as Dean got close enough.

“Dean!” Adam called brightly. He pushed off and met Dean halfway. “We’ve got some time before dinner, so me and Kevin were thinking we ought to check this place out. Maybe find where the cemetery is.”

“Why the hell would you wanna find the cemetery?”

Adam shrugged. “‘Cause I’m bored and need something to do.”

“Huh.” Dean frowned and scratched at his brow. He didn’t really want to do anymore exploring, lest he get lost again. But the prospect of hanging out with his friends was too great. “Alright. Let me grab my jacket real quick.”

Kevin stood when they neared, and both men joined Dean inside of his lodgings.  

Adam hummed thoughtfully as he took in the interior. After a moment, he asked: “How were they gonna fit two beds in here?”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Who’s this?” Kevin asked, standing in front of Mr. Bear. “He’s creepy.”

“Wow, way to say it to his face.” Dean turned from them so he could root through his duffel. “I dunno why he’s in here, but as long as he doesn’t eat out my stash of honey, I’m good.”

“Very funny,” Adam deadpanned. “You got what you wanted?”

Dean nodded as he finally tugged free his leather jacket. It still fit him after all these years, although it had worn down over time. There were a few places on it where he’d had to get it repaired, but there was no way he was giving up on it. At least, not anytime soon.

He pulled it on and shook his arms out, the familiar feel of being coated in a soft material quickly brought feeling back into his limbs. Kevin held the door open for both Adam and Dean, then waited just outside and looked to Dean.

When Dean didn’t move to do anything, Kevin gestured. “Aren’t you gonna lock it?”

“It only locks from the inside. If I locked it and shut it, I’d have to ask Balthazar for the key.” Dean paused before revealing, “They only have one copy.”

“That’s str–” Adam began to speak, but Kevin cut him off with a look.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Kevin faced Dean. “Oh yeah. I’ve had that at a few places I’ve stayed, no biggie.”

Dean was sure the kid was lying just to make him feel better, which was sweet, but unnecessary. “Okay, well. Let’s get going before we run out of time.”

“I like the sound of that,” Adam agreed.

The two others fell in step with Dean as he led them around the side of his cabin. He was sure he’d seen a building at the back, and sure enough, in the distance there stood a faded blue barn.

It didn’t take too long for them to reach it, and once they did Kevin stood on his tip-toes to peer through a window. “I can’t really make much out.”

“Any horses?”

“I don’t know. I can’t see any.”

“Where’s the door?” Adam asked.

“Over there.” Dean nodded his head to the left, in the direction of the half-door.

Kevin stepped back from the window, checked his watch. “We have time to go inside, if we can.”

Adam took the liberty of checking to see if the door was open. As he applied pressure, it swung inwards easily. “We’re in,” he said with a grin.

“What are you three doing here?”

Dean’s gaze snapped to the source of the voice quick enough to cause whiplash.

Castiel was there, one hand gripping the chainsaw tightly.

“We were just checking the place out,” Kevin managed from his position, sounding not the least bit confident as he spoke.

“Don’t you have dinner now?”

“We have a few minutes.” Adam shifted weight from foot to foot. “We just wanted to see some horses.”

“These aren’t the stables.” Castiel’s expression shifted into something edging on anger. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Kevin cleared his throat. “Balthazar said that only the woods were off limits.”

“That is correct.” Castiel replied, but by the way he continued to watch them it seemed clear he didn’t want them there.

“C’mon guys,” Dean said. He didn’t want to cause any trouble. “Let’s go get some food.”

As he walked past Castiel, the man’s blue eyes met Dean’s own, and Dean could swear he saw a flash of regret in them for just a fraction of a second.

“God,” Adam began once they were clear of the barn. “What a creep.”

“I dunno. We were kind of acting like teenagers,” Dean rationalised. “Trying to get into random places and hoping for horses.” Dean checked behind him, but Castiel was nowhere in sight.

When he turned back, both Kevin and Adam were giving him these _looks_.

“What?” Dean asked. Did they really not get where Dean was coming from?

Kevin sighed. He shared another glance with Adam, and Dean was starting to worry he’d missed something. Something _big_. “Nothing,” Kev said finally. “Don’t worry about it.”

They went straight to the main cabin. There was a room within that housed a long, ochre table with matching seats. Everyone had already arrived, and so they hurried to take their seats. Dean was left facing the window, and sandwiched between Benny and Kevin.

Charlie was across from him, and she gave him a warm smile. “What’d you boys get up to?”

“Tried to find the stables,” Dean answered.

“Fun.” She did a small sweep with her hand, motioning at the plates of food decorating the table. “Dig in. I think there’s actually enough food for everyone. Even you and Benny.”

Benny quirked a brow. “Am I supposed to be offended by that?”

Dean patted his friend on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. She’s just mad because she lost that pizza eating contest from way back.” He began to serve himself a mix of chicken, potatoes and tiny sausages as he continued. “It’s not healthy to hold a grudge for so long, Charlie.”

He scooped up a forkful of his meal, pleasantly surprised by how awesome it tasted.

He really hoped there was pie for dessert.

“Shut your trap,” she rebutted.

Dean grinned at her, mouth full.

“Disgusting.” Charlie poked her tongue out at him, and then proceeded to steal a potato off of his plate.

Dean retaliated by stealing one of her sausages.

She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. You like them more than me anyway.”

Dean did not miss the suggestion behind her words, and he nearly choked as he made a noise between a laugh and a sputtered cough.

Some time later into their meal, Gabriel passed through the room, carrying a plate of raw, bloody meat. It was colored a vivid red, and drew Dean’s attention immediately. He watched as Gabe opened the front door and, through the window, Dean saw the man hand it over to Castiel.

Once Castiel had disappeared off into the distance, Dean returned his attention to the table. He checked to see if anyone else had noticed the exchange, but everyone seemed intensely focused on their meals. Except for his brother and Gadreel, who were having a conversation about something or other.

Dean tried to rationalise as to exactly why Gabriel would have given Castiel raw meat. Maybe Castiel wanted to cook it himself? Or… Or nothing. Dean was drawing a blank.

“Everyone, if I can have your attention.”

Silence descended the table as everyone turned to the head of the table. Balthazar stood, changed from his earlier fancy wear into more comfy looking clothes that served to protect him from the cold.

“Dessert will be served under the stars tonight. I hope you all like s’mores.”

Kevin let out a triumphant whoop as he lept to his feet. Everyone else stood in a more subdued manner, and Dean had to laugh at the way that Balthazar had flinched at the kid’s volume.

The firepit, as it turned out, was behind his brother’s cabin. Dean snuck a look through the nearest window as they passed, and what he saw told him exactly why Sam had booked the place.

Inside there was a four-poster bed with flowing white drapes and a TV with an accompanying stereo system. On top of that, it looked like there was definitely more than one room, though Dean couldn’t quite make out where the various doorways led to.

So not only did Sam get the best cabin, but he also got to share it with someone.

Dean was definitely jealous.

“Alright everybody, gather around.”

The fire was already going, and Dean looked around, figuring that Castiel must have started it. The groundskeeper was nowhere to be seen though, and his disappointment left a sour taste in his mouth. He would much rather the elusive, dark haired adonis host this summer camp knock-off activity than Balthazar.

Oh well, Dean could always hope.

He sat on the end of one of the four logs, which were surprisingly comfortable. Their tops had been sandpaper smoothed, rough bark chipped away. Dean absently wondered if Castiel was to thank for this.

“Go ahead and take some, but share the bags around. You all should be able to find suitable branches on your own accord.”

Both Charlie and Dean reached for the same stick, and whilst Dean grasped it first, Charlie snatched it before he had a good hold on it. “Dang, you are _vicious_.”

“My reflexes are on point,” Charlie agreed. “Plus I have the upper body strength of a partially dry noodle.”

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. “Noodle or not, you just took the best stick around.”

Charlie smirked, victorious. “Your loss.”

Dean grumbled. For the girl who was elected Queen of Moondoor because of her compassionate, and fair ruling, she could be a real bitch.

“Here,” Adam shoved a bag of marshmallows at Dean’s face.

“Sweet.” He grabbed a handful, and when one nearly tumbled out of his hold, he ducked his head and sucked it into his mouth.

Charlie took her own split of marshmallows, whilst commenting, “Nice save.”

“I know right?” Dean watched as the family-sized block of chocolate was passed closer and closer. “What did you say before? Reflexes on point?”

“You’re such a grandpa,” Charlie teased.

“Hey, not all of us have spare time to surf ‘The Internet’.”

Charlie stared at him. “You did not just say _‘The Internet’_ like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like it’s capitalised and bracketed in quotations.”

Dean shrugged. “Isn’t that how you say it?”

Charlie gaped at him, her expression comically ridiculous. “You can’t be serious.”

He let out a bright bark of laughter. “Are you gonna suffer an aneurysm if I tell you that I still use Internet Explorer?”

“Oh Jesus Chr–”

Her impending implosion is interrupted by Adam passing along the packet of biscuits. “Where’s your stick?” He asked as Dean grabbed another handful. He was stockpiling his stache in his lap, whilst Charlie was stuffing them strategically into her various pockets.

This was all pretty ill-thought out. They could’ve at least had some plates or something.

“Charlie stole it,” Dean answered finally.

Charlie shot him a betrayed look. “Did not.”

“Did to,” Dean countered.

“Did not, and don’t try to argue. You were too slow, hence, your stick was mine for the taking.”

Adam quirked a brow at them both. “Do I want to know?”

“Maybe not,” Dean admitted after a moment's thought.

“What’s this about someone needing a stick?” Sam called from across the way. He noticed Dean’s empty hands, or at least, hands lacking a branch of his own. “Here, take my stick.”

“Oh God,” Dean groaned to himself. That sounded wrong on _so many_ levels.

Despite his entire being shriveling up and wilting to death on the inside, Sam passed along his… stick, and soon Dean was able to slide a marshmallow onto the tip.

Everyone was pretty much set, holding their marshmallows over the fire and soaking up the warmth the flames were giving off. Balthazar himself was even joining in, and once people had started making their s’mores, he cleared his throat. “A fine evening like this is incomplete without some classic ghost stories. Would anyone like to start us off?”

“I’ll go,” Charlie offered merrily.

“At your leisure.”

Dean settled in for the long haul as Charlie proceeded to recount an abridged telling of the plot of Stranger Things.

“This kinda sounds familiar,” Kevin pointed out halfway through.

“Yeah,” Sam hummed thoughtfully. “Isn’t this that Netflix show?”

Charlie’s tale stuttered to a halt.

Balthazar clapped his hands together, managing to get everyone's attention. He didn’t look annoyed at Charlie for taking up their time, which was a relief. The last thing they needed was an angry host.

“How about I take over for a moment?”

Nobody disagreed, although that might have been due to the fact that at least half of the group had their mouths full of s’more.

“Lovely.” Balthazar coughed to clear his throat, and then began.

He was halfway through telling a story (that wasn’t the plot of any filmography Dean could remember) about a family of brothers that was torn apart by mental health issues, incest and just all kinds of craziness. Hell, Dean was pretty sure Balthazar mentioned something about cannibalism too. A few of the brothers had, apparently, ran off to start their own business so they could survive on their own, and hopefully recover together.

“Two years into their journey of independence, one of the brothers began to grow restless. He started hiding things from his brothers. Like the fact he’d begun to butcher living creatures out in the forest, and how he’d grown a taste for–”

“--Can’t do this!” At the sound of the shout, Dean searched for the source. He found it easily enough. Gabriel stood, jabbing a pointed finger at a furious looking Castiel. They were nestled between two cabins, just within hearing- or rather, shouting- distance. “For one thing, we’ve got clients to attend to. You’ve got a job to do, Cassie. Get _over_ yourself!”

Castiel’s response was too quiet to hear, but Dean could see that the man was totally done with whatever argument they were having.

“Er, don’t mind them.” Balthazar clapped his hands, gaining everyone’s attention. Dean glanced over at Sam, who looked concerned. Dean had to agree. There was no reason for Gabriel to be yelling at Cas like that. Poor guy. “Perhaps we should wrap this evening up.”

“Good timing. It’s starting to get cold,” Kevin pointed out.

Dean grabbed up his remaining s’more ingredients, looking over to where Castiel and Gabriel had been. Neither of them were anywhere in sight. Huh. He frowned to himself, hoping Cas was okay as Charlie came up to him and nudged his shoulder. “What’s up? You’ve got your frowny face on.”

“I don’t have a frowny face,” Dean retorted. “And nothing. Just hoping everything’s okay.”

Charlie followed his gaze. “Yeah. That groundskeeper must’ve done something really bad to piss off Gabriel like that.”

“Really? I kinda felt like Gabe was hating on Cas just then.”

She raised a brow. “‘Cas’?”

“As much as I enjoy seeing happy campers,” Balthazar interrupted. He placed a hand on both their shoulders. “It’s starting to get dark. You best both be on your way.”

“Er, sure.” Dean stiffened, uncomfortable with how the man was invading his personal space.

Charlie appeared unaffected. “Sounds good to me. Goodnight, Dean.”

“G’night,” Dean returned.

As Charlie spun and headed off on her way, Dean realised the others had already left.

Balthazar remained to deal with the campfire, and Dean hesitated.

Curiosity and concern burned within him. He was oh-so-tempted to ask about Castiel, and what was going on with the two brothers.

But… Maybe Sammy’s nagging was getting to him. It really wasn’t his place to put his foot in matters that didn’t concern him. The last thing he needed was to piss off the guy who owned the joint.

He reigned in his questions and turned on his heel, making his way back to his cabin before he changed his mind.

Dean had always been a notoriously light sleeper. His brother had suffered from infrequent night terrors as a kid, so he’d gotten used to waking at the slightest _not right_ sound. So, when he heard a decidedly out-of-place _bump_ in the night, Dean’s eyes snapped open.

He wasn’t quite on full alert in an instant. He was semi-aware as he listened to anymore odd sounds to back-up his suspicion. When none came, Dean huffed and tried to go back to sleep.

Unfortunately, he didn’t quite feel 100% at ease.

With a sigh Dean flung the covers off of himself and swung his feet off of the edge of the bed. He stood slowly, waiting for his inner inertia to calm down before making his way to the door in the dark.

If he hadn’t just woken up at ass-o-clock in the morning, Dean probably would have realised it was a mistake to just _open his door_. He only realized, once the deed was done, that there could have been a bear or a wolf or something, waiting on the other side.

He got lucky. There was no bear.

But, there was Castiel, the groundskeeper.

He was balancing on a rickety looking stool, a paint brush poised in one hand, a small bucket in the other. His eyes, which Dean could just make out in the moonlight, were fixed firmly on Dean.

“Ugh,” Dean said. It turned out he wasn’t all that eloquent in the morning, pre coffee.

Castiel did not respond, but his stare shifted into more of a scowl. Great, not only did Dean wake up at ass-o-clock in the morning, but now he was interrupting this poor bastard’s work.

“Finally patching up the shack, huh?” The words were out of Dean’s mouth before he realised that perhaps Castiel might take offense to them. “That is to say– I mean… Um.”

Castiel blinked.

Dean drew a breath. It was probably best if he returned to the relative safety of his bed before he made more of a mess of the situation.

“I’ll just… leave you to it then.”

He’d felt Castiel’s eyes on him long after he had closed the door behind him.

 

* * *

[ ](http://allovelyart.tumblr.com/post/158418261178/so-i-participate-in-the-dean-winchester-bigbang)

* * *

 

When Dean next awoke he felt far more functional. As he recalled his earlier run-in with Cas, Dean winced and made his way to the door. He pulled it open and looked out, but couldn’t see any sign that Cas was still doing any painting. Although, there was a distinct splash of red on the cabin’s exterior. Dean frowned and moved closer to inspect it.

It was on the area where Castiel has been working. Maybe he’d been trying to paint over it?

He reached up and smudged a finger along the ruby-red smear. It came away wet and sticky, which was gross but Dean didn’t let it deter him. He brought his finger up to his nose, and sniffed it.

“Huh,” Dean said as he registered the distinctly chemical scent. It smelled like paint.

It had been too dark earlier to see what color the paint was that Cas had been using. Not that he would’ve noticed, anyway. He’d had more important things to look at.

But, it must’ve been Castiel that had left the red smear. Unfinished, whatever it was supposed to be. The question stood, then: Why would Castiel want to paint Dean’s cabin red?

It wasn’t a very _nice_ red either. The color kinda reminded Dean of blood.

“There you are!”

Dean glanced over at the sound of the voice. Sam strode towards him, looking kind of pissed off.

“Well, good morning princess.” Dean smiled in an obnoxious way, hoping the further his brother’s sour mood. “Fancy getting a visit from you. Did you run out of hair ties?”

“Dean,” Sam reprimanded as he neared. “Is that really necessary?”

“Wouldn’t be if you just cut your hair.”

“Dean!” Sam exclaimed.

“Alright, alright.” Dean waved his brother off. “So what brings ya’ here? Did I miss my turn for skinny dipping?”

“Why would we–” Sam cut himself off before he finished his question. Probably a wise choice, considering the ammunition it would’ve provided Dean with. “I just came to make sure you were okay.”

Dean quirked a brow. “Really?”

Sam huffed. “Okay. Fine. Maybe I’m a little mad that you’re _completely_ ruining our schedule.”

“Ah, and the truth is revealed.” Dean crossed his arms. “I’m sorry, but isn’t this supposed to be a _vacation_? Why do we need a schedule?”

“Because I want to make the most of this experience,” Sam replied. “Clearly it doesn’t bother you as much, though. I mean, it’s nearly eleven and you probably haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

Dean grinned disarmingly. “Now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry.”

Sam heaved a great big sigh, apparently realising he wasn’t going to get through to Dean on the matter. He waved his hand in his usual ‘ _okay, do whatever you want, Dean_ ’ way and made to leave.

He paused when he saw the splash of red on the cabin wall.

“Weird, isn’t it?” Dean said as he saw the look of confusion cross Sam’s face. “I think Cas was trying to cover it up this morning, but I spooked him off.”

Sam’s eyes zeroed in on Dean. “ _You_ spooked _him_ off…?”

“Yeah.” Dean’s gaze dropped as he remembered the encounter. “I might’ve offended him… somehow. He must’ve left before he could finish.”

“Dean–” Sam began, and then stopped. He shook his head. “Never mind. Go get breakfast.”

“Will do, Rapunzel.”

Sam shot him a glare, but marched off without further comment.

Dean counted it as a victory and headed inside to get ready for the day.

It didn’t take him long to get dressed, and once he was done he started his journey to the main cabin. If there was one constant in his life, it was that he could never say no to food.

Dean bumped into Castiel on his way, and before the man got a chance to hurry off, Dean flashed him his best smile. “Hey. I just want to say sorry… for earlier.”

Castiel didn’t even address him, his gaze was fixed somewhere behind Dean’s shoulder, and his mouth was clamped shut.

“You.. uh, on the clock?”

His question did not receive an answer.

“Look, man. I know you’ve probably got a lot to do, considering how big this place is. I’m sorry for holding you up. I just… thought maybe you’d wanna have chat? It doesn’t seem like people want to talk to you around here, and that’s just plain rude. Plus, your brother seems to be giving you a hard time. I know _all_ about that, trust me.”

Throughout Dean’s rambling, Castiel’s expression grew more and more pinched. When Dean stopped to take a breath, the groundskeeper shoved something at Dean. Whilst Dean was caught up with the new addition, Castiel took the opportunity to make his escape.

Dean sighed and cursed his apparent lack of social skills.

Then he looked down to check out what he’d been given.

All it took with a flash of red ( _blood_ ) for Dean to drop the package and nope the fuck away from there.

Maybe one day he’d managed a _normal_ interaction with Castiel. Dean was looking forward to that day.

The dining room was empty when Dean arrived, but there were covered trays of food all along that smelled _delicious_ and were still warm. The steam rose into the air as Dean peeked into all of them. Sausages, eggs, hash browns, bacon- the works. Dean settled on some of everything and sat down to dig in.

Kevin entered and found him a while later. Dean was on his second helping.

“Hey man,” Kev said and took a seat. He snuck a crispy rasher of bacon to gnaw on. “The others were asking for you. They’re out doing horse-riding ‘till lunch.”

“Have you already perfected the art, Master Tran?” Dean asked around a mouthful of eggs.

The kid shrugged. “Too boring for me. I’d rather just hang in the cabin.”

Dean piled up a stack of bacon and tomato on his fork. “You gonna come out to watch me give it a go?”

“Nah.” Kevin wiped his fingers off on a napkin. “I got enough amusement from watching Sam give it a go. I think he’s a bit too tall.”

Dean put down his knife and fork and grinned madly. “Oh, I have got to see this.”

He grabbed his napkin, wiped his hands and face before pushing out his chair and hurrying outside. He looked around for the horses, but had no idea where they could be at. The ranch was massive, and the circle of cabins was only surrounded by expansive fields.

Thankfully, a friendly (kind of) neighborhood groundskeeper was standing surreptitiously by a nearby cabin.

“Hey, Cas.” Dean walked up to the man, aiming for casual.

Castiel spared him a short glance, looking annoyed.

“Sorry– I er…” Dean shifted, feeling awkward. “I’ve got no clue where the horses are. Could you spare a second to point me in the right direction?”

“No.”

Dean quirked a brow. “Please?” He tried.

Castiel heaved a great, long-suffering sigh but turned to face Dean fully. “Fine,” he said. “But I don’t have long.”

“That’s totally cool, man.” Dean grinned. “Thank you so much.”

For a moment, Cas just squinted at him, but then the man huffed and turned on his heel.

Evidently, the horses were the complete opposite way that Dean had been thinking of heading.

When they arrived, Balthazar was busy teaching the rest of the group- and making sure they didn’t die. Dean sighed. “Guess there wouldn’t have been time for me, anyway.”

Castiel remained silent by his side.

“But hey, Kev was right.”

Sam was out in the field, leading his horse around in circles as he practiced. He looked ridiculous, almost as tall as the horse itself. His long legs were dangling at the sides and his girly-hair billowing behind him in the wind.

“He looks _ridiculous_ .” Dean laughed, and pulled his phone out to take a picture _and_ video.

As Dean began to film, Sam started sliding off the horse as he lost his balance. His arms pinwheeled wildly and Dean busted his ass laughing.

Eventually, though, Sam managed to right himself.

“Hannah.”

Dean turned at Castiel’s voice. “Huh?”

“Hannah isn’t out there. She must still be in the stables.” Castiel blinked his blue ( _too blue to be true_ ) eyes at Dean. “Would you like to meet her?”

Dean beamed at him.  “Hell yes!”

Was Cas (the hot groundskeeper) really offering to _privately_ introduce him to a horse? There was no way Dean could pass up this opportunity.

Castiel tilted his head, as though intrigued by Dean’s enthusiasm. Nonetheless, he turned and headed for a nearby building (Dean would dare to call it a stable). He followed after Cas, hoping to God he wouldn’t fuck this up.

The building did indeed end up being the stables. They went in about half-way and came upon the first stall that wasn’t empty. A horse stood within, ears pricked forward and chewing on something leafy. Its head swayed to meet Cas’ hand as the groundskeeper reached up to greet it.

“This Hannah?” Dean asked as he felt a smile grow on his face from the sight before him. “She’s a beauty.”

Dean didn’t really know anything about horses. He had to admit though, that the black mare before him was gorgeous. Beautiful big eyes and a lovely, shiny coat. Plus, if she could get Cas to touch her then she was a hero in Dean’s mind.

“So… What now?” Dean prompted when Cas remained quiet.

Castiel glanced back at him, eyes squinting for a moment before he turned and undid the latch on the stall. He slid the gate aside and entered. As he did so, Castiel pressed a hand to the horse's front and guided it back to give himself some space.

Then he slid the gate back into place and latched it.

He stood on the horse's left side and stroked along the neck, murmuring something to it in that deep, gravelly voice of his.

Dean’s imagination ran wild. He wanted Cas to whisper in _his_ ear, could imagine the man’s lips brushing against his lobe, his mouth so close and eyes _so_ blue.

“Er.” Dean took a breath. “Can I come in?”

When Castiel did not disagree, Dean copied Castiel’s earlier movements and made his way inside.

“Damn. She’s even more lovely up close.” Dean positioned himself just behind Cas, gazing at the horse with an adoring gaze. “Should I… do anything? Bow to her or something?”

Castiel offered Dean a withering stare.

“What?” Dean huffed, indignation heating his cheeks. “I think I saw it in a movie once.”

There was a beat of silence, and Dean could’ve sworn he saw Cas’ lips twitch.

“Can I… touch her?”

Castiel nodded. He reached out and grabbed Dean’s hand, then guided it to Hannah’s nose. Hannah sniffed at Dean, taking in his scent or whatever. Dean was just mesmerised by how fucking big a horse’s head was, and how close _this_ specific horse head was.

After Hannah was content with Dean’s scent, Cas took Dean’s hand. He directed it to the top of Hannah’s face, then pressed on it and smoothed it along, working down to just above her nose.

Castiel repeated the motion, drifting closer to Dean to get better control. Dean swallowed at the proximity. He could feel Cas’ breath on his shoulder.

After one more repeat, Castiel let go.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” Dean said with a smile.

Dean went to stroke for a fifth time, but Hannah turned her head towards him.

Castiel suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping him tightly. “Stop,” he said, probably noticing that Dean had been about to pull his hand away in fright. “Don’t be scared.”

There was a look in his eyes, a warning, a reassurance, a promise that everything was going to be okay if he just _listened_.

Dean swallowed again, but finished the motion before taking his hand back.

He looked to Cas, and the groundskeeper nodded and let go.

 

* * *

[ ](http://allovelyart.tumblr.com/post/158418261178/so-i-participate-in-the-dean-winchester-bigbang)

* * *

 

Cas had parted ways after the Fanatasy-Like Sequence that Featured a Horse™ without a word. Dean hadn’t minded. He’d managed to get more syllables outta the guy in an hour than he had since he’d arrived. Dean figured that in Cas’ case, he’d take whatever he could get.

“Hey, man.”

Adam walked up to Dean, looking sunburnt and plenty windswept. “Hey.” Dean chuckled. “Looks like someone had fun.”

“Oh yeah. It was great.” Adam smirked. “It’s too bad you didn’t join in.”

“Nah. I got one better.” Dean crossed his arms and leaned back, smug. “Cas introduced me to Hannah, their mare. I got to get a one-on-one introduction. Suck it.”

Adam froze. “...Castiel?” He said, as though in clarification.

“Why does no one wanna call him ‘Cas’?” Dean huffed. “I think it’s a pretty good nickname. One of my best, even.”

“Dean…” Adam trailed off with a sigh. “I dunno, we all just kinda think that he’s– Well. Creepy.”

“Creepy?” Dean blinked. “I mean, the guy clearly doesn’t like to socialise, but that doesn’t automatically make him creepy.”

Adam arched a brow.

Dean faltered. “Okay. Maybe it kinda does,” Dean acquiesced. “But the guy’s not that bad. Seriously. You all ought to give him a break.”

“Or maybe you need to pay better attention.” Adam shook his head. “Whatever.” He jerked his thumb back to where the rest of the group had congregated. “You gonna join us for lunch, at least?”

“‘Course.” Dean started walking with him, but had to ask: “By any chance, did you record Sam when he was giving it a go?”

Adam shot Dean an unimpressed look. “What kind of a question is that?” He grinned. “Of course I fucking did. I even got him when he fell off in the beginning. We’re going to hold it against him for the rest of his life.”

They were still chuckling deviously when they reached the group. Entering the room first, Adam went ahead and took the seat between Charlie and Kev. Dean took the last seat on the corner, opposite his brother.

“Nice of you to finally make it,” Sam greeted. He’d scooped a bunch of colorful vegetables and leafy onto his plate. Dean was too caught up in his own thoughts to tease the overgrown sasquatch.

He had been walking around in a bit of a daze after The Incredible Event that Dean will Dream About for the Rest of his Existence™. When he noticed all of the food that lay before him, Dean realised just how hungry he was.

Then again, hungry was kind of a constant state of being for Dean.

“Mhmm,” Dean hummed non-committedly when he realised his brother was waiting for an answer. He then served himself a helping of food that piled up on his plate and nearly overflowed.

“You didn’t even get around to doing anything today. How are you gonna be able to eat all of that?” Sam stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“I don’t know why you sound so surprised,” Dean replied. He merrily chowed down on his lunch, savoring the heart-warming taste of home cooking.

Silence descended as everyone got stuck into their food. Sam made comments every now and then about what Dean missed that morning, teasing him. Dean shut him up by mentioning Sam’s ‘falling off the horse’ incident.

“What?” Sam sputtered. “You weren’t even there! How do you know about it?”

Dean smirked at his brother. “All’s I’m saying is if you don’t want some incriminating footage to leak on Youtube and Facebook, then you’d better cease your preening. You’re as bad as a peacock. _‘They taught us how to jump hurdles, and Gabriel even said I could go professional’,_ ” he quoted directly from said-peacock’s mouth. “Bullshit, Sammy. You probably spent the whole lesson learning how to stay on the damn horse.”

Sam glared at Dean. “Jerk.”

“Bitch.” Dean smiled at his brother sweetly.

With a sigh of resignation, Sam leaned forward and matched Dean’s grin. “Whatever you’ve got on me, I have a feeling I’ll be able to match it once this trip is over.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep.”

Dean quirked a brow and opened his mouth to retort, when an argument started up outside. The sound of angered shouts distracted him. He craned his neck to get look, and was not surprised to see that Gabriel was raging at Castiel again. The Groundskeeper stood tall, chin raised as Gabriel’s voice grew in volume.

“–Can’t just neglect your duties like that. I don’t know what you’re up to, but if it’s what was happening last time, you’ve gotta know that this time…” Gabriel poked Cas’ shoulder. “This time I won’t hesitate to call the cops, Castiel!”    

Gabriel’s tirade continued, and Dean had zoned out on the man’s words because Cas was just _standing there_ , taking it. That asshole was just completely degrading Castiel and Dean decided he’d had enough. He jumped to his feet and began to make his way over, eyes locked on Cas.

“Dean! Don’t,” Sam called after him. “Stay out of it.”

Dean ignored him, powering on until he reached the pair. As soon as he was close enough, he grabbed both of their shoulders and separated them, giving him space to round on Gabriel.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“He–” Gabriel began to defend, eyes wide with… surprise?

Dean shoved him, fueled by his anger on Castiel’s behalf. “I don’t care! You shouldn’t yell at someone like that. He wasn’t even trying to defend himself. That was completely unnecessary!”

He’d become protective, very early on, of those who were getting bullied. He’d had to, for Sammy’s sake. And what Gabriel was doing to Cas? It seemed a lot like bullying to Dean.

Fed up with Gabriel, Dean turned to Cas. “Are you okay?”

Castiel just blinked at Dean, as though in shock.

Dean couldn’t blame the guy. Gabriel had been pretty intense.

“Dean!” Suddenly Sam was there. He grabbed onto Dean and spun him around. “Are you crazy?”

“No,” Dean shrugged out of his brother’s grasp. “Did you seriously not see how Gabriel just treated Cas? Sammy, man, don’t even–”

“Is there a problem, gentlemen?”

 _Oh great_ , Dean thought as Balthazar approached.

He huffed and addressed the newcomer. “Damn right there’s a problem.” Dean glanced back to address the other two Novaks, but… they were gone.

“Come on.” Sam grabbed Dean’s arm. “Let’s go finish lunch.”

“Where’d they go?” Dean asked. “They were just here–”

“Probably to finish their argument.” Sam tugged incessantly on Dean, and the elder brother had to admit defeat. “Don’t worry about it.”

Dean sighed, and looked to his brother’s hazel gaze. “How could I not?” He asked simply.

Sam stared at him, expression softening.

Dean felt relieved as he realised that his brother now _understood_.

“Guys!” Kevin shouted, interrupting them both. “Food’s getting cold.”

“And right he is,” Balthazar agreed. “Go on then. I will sort this out.”

Dean didn’t want to let this go. Something was definitely wrong here, and he had a feeling shit was gonna hit the fan sooner or later. Dean wasn’t completely helpless, though, despite what everyone seemed to think. He knew it wasn’t his place to interfere with problems between families. He resigned himself to keeping a close eye on things for the remainder of his stay. If things got worse, he’d deal with it, or call professionals that could.

Dean nodded at the man. “Make sure Cas is okay.”

Balthazar’s brows furrowed, confusion and concern taking hold a moment before his expression flattened out. “Of course. Enjoy the rest of your meal.”

 _Pfft_ , Dean thought. After seeing that display, he found he wasn’t that hungry anymore.

The rest of lunch was stilted. It seemed like hours before Balthazar returned to show them to where they’d be watching the movie. Everyone seemed to breathe a silent sigh of relief as they slipped away from the dining room.

Dean glanced out the window as he left. He hadn’t seen either Gabriel or Cas since the earlier altercation. He hoped they were okay. Well, he hoped _Cas_ was okay.

The group decided on a movie fairly quickly. Charlie suggested it, a horror classic. Dean wasn’t a big fan of horror movies as most of them were too unrealistic for him, but he wasn’t about to complain.

The last thing they needed around here was more arguments.

He settled back on a comfy bean bag in the back. Everyone seemed happy to give him some space, and they all faced the projector as the movie started.

Dean wasn’t very surprised when he dozed off halfway through it.

The sound of screaming woke him, high pitched and terrified. He jerked awake, blinking groggily as he remembered where he was. _Right_ , he thought drily. _Horror movie_.

He rubbed his eyes and glanced around. No one seemed to have noticed he’d fallen asleep, or if they had they weren’t paying him any attention now. Dean stretched and righted himself, slowly regaining his awareness as the finale of the movie played and then the credits began to roll.

He’d slept through pretty much the whole thing.

“Well, that was dumb.” Kevin got to his feet and gave the group a cursory once over. “I’m going to go and watch something that isn’t completely predictable. Wanna join, Adam?”

“Sure,” Adam agreed easily. The two left, and were quickly followed by Sam and Zeke. The couple gave no excuse as to why they were going off on their own. Dean could take a few guesses, though he wasn’t sure how a horror movie could turn anyone on.

“I think I’m gonna take a nap,” Charlie admitted. She stood and stretched, popping tired joints as she did so. “I almost fell asleep there.”

“I’m pretty sure Dean had ‘ya covered,” Benny commented. He flashed an amused look in Dean’s direction.

Dean ignored the jab, instead commenting, “I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that the movie failed to enthuse.”

Charlie grinned, pearly whites shining in the low-light. “Sorry. I’ll suggest something better next time.”

“Not your fault,” Dean waved her off.

She saluted them jokingly as she took her leave. Dean turned to face Benny.

He was surprised to see the man was already on his feet. “I feel like going for a walk. Get some fresh air, wake up my legs.”

“I’ll join,” Dean said quickly. He hurried to stand, not wanting to miss an opportunity to hang out with _someone_.

“I’m thinking something a bit more adventurous. A trek through the woods?” Benny suggested.

Dean may have ignored most of Balthazar’s welcoming speech, but he was pretty sure he’d hear the man say the forest was strictly off limits. He grinned, always eager to break a few rules. “Sure.”

“‘Right then. I’ve gotta get changed and slip on the right shoes. Meet you by the east path in a few?”

Dean nodded. “Sounds good.”

“See ‘ya soon, brother.” Benny tipped his head and they split ways.

He hurried back to his cabin to grab a jacket and put on some insect repellent. Dean didn’t waste any time. As soon as he was done, he left his cabin, looking forward to spending some time with his good friend.

Dean had met Benny in college. Along with Adam, the three of them made quite the group. They’d remained friends even after Dean dropped out to work full time at Bobby’s garage. Even though he loved learning and would’ve enjoyed finishing his degree, he’d needed the money to pay for Sammy’s tuition.

It didn’t matter much to him. He enjoyed working at the shop, and could read up on whatever subject he wanted to in his free time.

The horse’s stable was on his way to the path. Dean debated for a moment. He couldn’t see Benny up ahead, and he was probably early anyway. With an excited grin, Dean jogged over to the stables and made his way inside.

It appeared empty at first. The place was pretty dark, as it was nearly sunset, and Dean wondered if he should look for a lightswitch. He discarded the idea, it wasn’t like he was planning to stay for long.

He made his way to Hannah’s stall, wanting to check in on the mare. Dean felt like that, maybe in another life, he’d perhaps own a horse like Hannah.

As he approached the far stall, Dean heard a repetitive, coarse sound.

He frowned and looked into the distance.

“Cas?” He asked, hesitant. He walked forward, finally seeing the back of a trenchcoat and a mop of unruly black hair. The groundskeeper stood, brushing Hannah’s mane.

At Dean’s call, the man turned, looking surprised. “Dean,” he said in that gravelly voice of his. “What are you doing here?”

“Sorry. Just wanted to see her again.” Dean came to a stop at the gate, gazing at Hannah with fondness. “Wasn’t sure I’d get another chance.”

There was silence. Castiel seemed unsure of what to say. He seemed a bit off kilter. Dean figured that his argument with Gabriel remained unresolved.

As though deciding that it was too much trouble to reply, Castiel just turned back to Hannah and continued to groom her. At least, that’s what Dean thought he was doing. Even with Castiel’s brief lesson, he was by no means a horse expert.

He found himself watching the man closely, admiring the way his hands worked to control the brush. Cas had distractingly long and nimble fingers. Dean was mesmerised.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Cas said after a while of silence.

Dean shrugged. “I don’t often follow the rules.”

Castiel’s lips twitched. “I’m beginning to realise that.”

Dean grinned and watched as the man began to pack away his kit. He stepped aside when Castiel made to exit, and then followed the man as he put away his stuff.

“So…” Dean began and trailed off. “Do you work this job all year or?”

“No,” Castiel answered.

Dean nodded and kept pace as Cas started refilling the buckets in all of the occupied stables with hay. “What do you do when you’re not working here?”

“Things,” Castiel answered.

Dean chuckled. “You’re just an open book, aren’t ya’ Cas?”

“What about you?” Castiel questioned. “What do you do?”

“I’m a mechanic.” Dean glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye, judging his reaction.

“Oh,” Cas’ lips twitched again. “That’s very impressive. You’re what, twenty?”

“Twenty-three,” Dean clarified.

Castiel nodded and turned to fill another bucket with hay.

“How about you?” Dean asked.

“Hmm?”

Dean elaborated, “How old are you?”

“Um.” Castiel paused to meet Dean’s gaze. “I’m twenty-five, if you must know.”

Dean frowned. “Am I bugging you or something? ‘Cause I can leave.”

“No– I–” Castiel cut himself off with an annoyed sound. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated,” Dean repeated with an arched brow. When Castiel offered no further explanation, Dean shrugged and continued on. “I liked meeting Hannah yesterday. Do you guys offer horse-riding lessons or something similar?”

“Dean,” Castiel replied, sounding annoyed.

Dean blinked, confused at his change of tone. “What?”

“You’re just making things very hard.” Castiel put down his bucket of hay and said, “I’ve got some things I need to do. Bye.”

Dean wanted to hurry after the man, grab onto his elbow and stop him before he reached the door. He wanted to ask, _‘Cas, man, what’d I do?’_

He didn’t though.

Dean just watched Cas leave with a frown on his face, figuring the guy just needed some space. Sammy would be proud of his self-restraint.

Dean tried to track down Benny for the next couple of minutes, but couldn’t find him anywhere. So he headed back to his cabin to kill some time until dinner. He pulled out his phone and headphones, settling down to listen to some _classic_ rock, which was a true blessing to the ears. Dean doubted he’d ever understand Sam’s obsession with hard hair rock.

He headed off a little bit before dinnertime and made his way over to the main lodge.

“Hey,” Charlie greeted as he entered. “You’re actually on time for once.”

Ignoring her teasing, he took a seat in the only one chair left and started serving himself some food.

As the meal drew on, Dean became bored out of his mind. Everyone seemed to be chatting amongst themselves, and so he was the odd one out. Even Kevin, who was sitting with him at the end of the table, was straining to listen in on a conversation further down the line.

It kinda felt like he was being ignored.

Thankfully though, because of his boredom and lack of focus, he was staring off into the middle distance when Gadreel’s elbow jerked haphazardly.

Sam, who was sitting opposite to him, had decided to drink beer that night. He’d been nursing it slowly, on and off, but it was still pretty much filled-to-the brim when Zeke’s elbow collided with it.

“Woah,” Dean said, noticing the accident due to his aforementioned boredom. Having soundly refined reflexes (you needed to be able to react quickly when working with heavy machinery), Dean reached out and grabbed the bottle before it could tip. “Careful there, Zeke.”

Gadreel frowned as he looked down, taking in what’d occurred. He glanced up at Dean, almost frowning, before turning to share a _look_ with Sam.

They stared at each other for a beat, and then Sam chuckled- sounding loud in the sudden silence.

Dean turned briefly, noticing that the majority of the group were staring at their end of the table. Specifically at Sam.

And was it just Dean or was Benny stifling a laugh?

“Thanks,” Sam said, drawing Dean’s attention. His younger brother then picked up the beer, and took a swig.

Only to drop it as he went to put it back down.

“Oh, crap.” Sam got to his feet immediately, the liquid seeping into his shirt and jeans.

Dean grinned and leaned back to enjoy the show. “Nice one, Sammy.”

Adam was snickering to himself, and Kevin was just outright laughing. Charlie seemed sympathetic, and she offered her napkin to Zeke.

Zeke accepted the napkin and passed it over to Sam, “Here.”

“That’s not gonna work,” Benny informed them. “You’re gonna have to wash it off.”

Sam huffed and turned to Balthazar, who had entered at the commotion. “Is there a bathroom here?”

“Yes,” Balthazar answered. “But the sink is on the fritz. It would be best to use one of the cabin restrooms.”

“I should probably change my shirt, anyway,” Sam said. He dumped the used napkin on his empty plate, apparently not at all bothered at the prospect of having to walk back to his cabin. “Sorry, guys. I’ll be quick.”

“Bring me back some pie,” Dean called after him.

Dean could see Sam roll his eyes, even from his seat. “Sure, Dean.”

Dean laughed and promised himself that he’d never let Sam down for spilling beer on himself-- when he wasn’t even _tipsy_.

Kevin chose that moment to stand and glance out the window. “If we’re going to be hanging out here for a while, I’m going to go and grab my laptop.”

“Okay,” Benny replied easily. “Hurry back.”

Kevin gave the group a wave and then exited the cabin. Dean mentally shrugged to himself and reached over to serve himself a second helping of casserole when a loud scream sounded in the distance.

Dean jumped to his feet as Balthazar stumbled into the room (when had he left?), nearly tripping over the ornate rug placed at the entrance. “He’s dead. He’s dead, oh God–”

Balthazar choked on his words, collapsing against the wall behind him.

Everyone stared at the man in varying degrees of confusion, concern and worry. Balthazar’s jaw hung loosely, eyes wide and it seemed he was in shock.

Dean approached the man, concerned because _someone was fucking dead?_ _What?_

“Balthazar?” Charlie prompted, sounding as concerned as Dean felt. “What’s wrong?”

“Gabriel–-” Balthazar shuddered. “Gabriel is dead.”

Dean frowned as nervous murmurs broke out amongst the group. “Where?” he asked. “What happened?”

“Out back, I– I went out there to grab another case of beer and–” Balthazar took a shuddering breath. “He’s slumped over some boxes. There’s– There’s an axe and–”

“Alright, it’s alright just take a breather.” Dean glanced at Benny. “We’ll check it out.”

Balthazar apparently wasn’t satisfied with Dean’s suggestion. “But he’s _dead_!”

“Balthazar,” Charlie said in a soothing voice. She went over to him and pulled him into a hug. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. You need to breathe.”

“C’mon, brother.” Benny was standing when Dean turned back to him, Adam as well. “Let’s see what all this is about.”

Gabriel was indeed slumped over some boxes. Not only that, but a familiar lumber axe was embedded in his back. Blood slowly dripped down from the deep wound, and Dean heard Adam gag next to him. “I’m gonna be sick.”

Dean glaced at his friend in concern, but found that Adam– in fact-- did not look like he was going to be sick, which was a relief.

“I think he’s dead,” Benny said.

Dean shot him a look. “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

“Should we… move him or something?” Adam questioned, face scrunching up in reluctance.

“You’re really thinkin’ about that right now?” Benny snapped back. He gestured jerkily at Gabriel’s body. “The man is dead! Someone killed him. We need to get out of here before we get killed too.”

Adam nodded sagely. “Right– Right, of course.”

“I think I know who did this,” Benny said with an air of barely contained fury. “That damn groundskeeper.”

“What?” Dean exclaimed, shocked. “You think Cas did this? No way man, dude couldn’t hurt a fly, even if he stepped on it.”

Adam and Benny stared at him.

“Look, whatever. That doesn’t matter right now. We need to get everyone to safety.” Dean glanced one last time at Gabriel’s dead body before turning back to his two companions. “Let’s go, and stay close.”

As they left the storage shack and walked towards the cabin, it became apparent that all of the lights within had been turned off. Dean glanced back at his two friends and pressed a finger to his lips, telling them to be silent. He then crept up to the cabin and peeked inside.

When he didn’t immediately see or hear anything troubling, he stepped past the threshold and crept down the hall to the dining room.

“Dean?” Charlie said as he poked his head around the corner. “Oh my God, Dean! The lights all turned off and Balthazar said that means the power’s gone out and–”

“Hey, hey.” Dean rushed to her and grabbed onto her shoulders. “Calm down. It’s going to be okay,” he soothed.

Charlie nodded frantically and then swallowed thickly. “Dean, Sam and Kevin haven’t come back.”

 _Oh fuck, Sam,_ was Dean’s immediate thought. “I’ll go get them,” Dean told her. “Stay here with Zeke and Balthazar.”

“What’s going on?” Benny asked as he reached Dean’s side.

“Sam and Kevin are still out there.” Dean turned to face Benny and Adam. “They could be in trouble.”

“Call the cops!” Adam exclaimed. “Who’s got their phone?”

“I do,” Gadreel said as he stepped forward with the proclaimed device.

“Alright, you guys get on that, I’ve gotta find Sam.” Dean’s gaze landed on the carving knife rested in the center of the table. He grabbed that before heading outside. Benny rushed out after him.

“You weren’t seriously thinking of going off alone, were ya’?” Benny questioned as he caught up.

“Nope.” Dean shot the man a smirk. “I knew you were going to follow.”

Benny huffed a laugh. “Well, you’re lucky I’m not scared of some wannabe serial killer.”

When they reached Sam’s cabin, Dean hurried to the door to open it, but it was locked. “Dammit,” he cursed and took a step back, motioning for Benny to move away. He then braced himself and kicked the door open.

The resounding _crack_ echoed throughout the room, and Dean stepped into the shadows without hesitation. “Sam!” He shouted as he stalked through the bedroom. “Sammy!”

His ears caught on the sound of running water, and he approached the bathroom with trepidation. The door was slightly ajar, and Dean pushed it open with a nudge of his foot.

The room was bathed in moonlight, it’s fluorescent glow reflecting off the slick pool of blood that coated the tiled floor. “No,” Dean murmured, voice cracking as he took in the sight of Sam’s body, bathing in a sea of red. He’d been dumped in an overflowing bathtub and left to bleed out. Sam’s skin was ashy pale, and Dean began to drift forward, his brain repeating a mantra of _no, he can’t be dead. He can’t be dead. Not my Sammy. No_.

“Dean,” a voice called. He felt a tug on his arm, and the motion just barelycaught his attention. “Dean, we can’t stay here. We have to find Kevin.”

Dean shook his head, because _no_. “I’m not leaving him,” he said, vehemently.

“ _Dean_ ,” Benny stressed the word. “Kevin might be in trouble!”

Dean swallowed and, inexplicably, his gaze was drawn back to his brother’s lifeless face. When Benny tugged on his arm again, Dean let himself be pulled along, out of his dead brother’s cabin and away from his dead brother’s body.

Dean raced towards Kevin’s cabin with determination. His mind was clear as he focused on one goal: Get all of his friends out of this hell hole _alive_.

As they neared the cabin, a shout filled the air and Dean’s gaze flickered to the source of the sound. He saw just a glimpse of Kevin as the kid was dragged behind the cabin.

“Kevin!” Dean shouted and sprinted after him. When he made it around the side of the building, Kevin and his assailant were nowhere in sight.

“Son of a bitch,” Dean cursed and looked around, trying to figure out where they’d got to. The only place nearby the two could’ve disappeared to... was the graveyard a few dozen feet away.

“Groundskeeper moves fast,” Benny said as he caught up to Dean. “What do you wanna do about Kevin?”

Dean’s lips thinned into a tight line. “It’s not a good idea to go after him alone.” As much as he hated the idea of practically abandoning Kevin, he was not about to risk Benny’s life by doing something stupid. “We’ve got no idea what’s in there. ‘Could be hiding anywhere.”

“Okay then, let’s go find the others.” Benny slapped a hand on Dean’s shoulder, and the latter followed albeit regrettably.

They sped back to the main cabin and ducked inside. Dean skidded to a stop as the sound of muffled sobs reached his ears. Benny slowed to a stop behind him, and the two shared a look.

“Charlie?” Dean called, because there was no way Kevin’s assailant had time to get back here after he disappeared. Whatever happened, he was pretty sure they weren’t in immediate danger.

Unless there were two killers on the loose.

“Dean!” The redhead cried out as she spotted him. There was a nasty cut along the top of her brow, and tears were slowly streaming down her face. “It was Castiel! He killed them! He killed Adam!”

“What?” Dean exclaimed. His gaze searched around the room, spotting Zeke slumped against the wall on the right and a trail of blood leading out of the room.

“I’ve got her,” Benny reassured Dean, pulling Charlie into a hug.

Dean nodded and went over to check on Gadreel. As he neared, the man stirred and was soon blinking up at Dean.

“You okay?” Dean asked. Gadreel nodded, though a bit dazedly. “Let’s get you up.” Dean reached under Gadreel’s arms and hauled the man upright. He then led Gadreel over to a chair and sat him down.

Once he was sure the man was in no immediate danger, dean questioned, “What happened?”

“Balthazar had just left to try the landline,” Gadreel explained breathlessly. “Our phones…No reception. He came out of nowhere.”

“Cas?” Dean clarified as he checked over Gadreel’s head for any visible signs of injury.

Gadreel nodded.

Dean wondered for a moment, how Castiel was able to best Gadreel. Out of all of them, Gadreel was perhaps the strongest. Though he was one of the sweetest souls Dean knew, Gadreel had been learning all different kinds of martial arts since he was a kid.

“Dean.”

Dean looked up, finding a shaking Charlie staring at him with big, doe eyes. “Yeah?”

“I want to go find Adam.” Charlie nodded jerkingly at the trail of blood leading down the hall.

Dean swallowed thickly. “Charlie… I think you should stay here with Zeke.”

She shook her head resolutely.

“Fine,” Dean said. “But stay behind me.”

“I’ll keep an eye on this one,” Benny said as he sat down next to Gadreel.

Dean gave Benny a nod and then made to follow the trail of blood.

Charlie followed silently behind him. Dean clenched his fist tighter around the knife in his hand and followed the blood trail through the hallway. Dean was careful not to tread in it, and he slowed as the trail led into a room.

Dean swallowed.

He did _not_ want to go in there.

Charlie made the decision for him. She stepped around him and inside of the room. Only a moment later, she gasped and let out a choked sob.

“Oh no,” she said, shocked, and turned to bury her face in Dean’s chest. “No, no, no.”

Dean rubbed her back soothingly and shifted ever so slightly so he could peek into the room. It appeared to be a laundry. There wasn’t a window so it was too dark to see anything clearly.

He could just make out Adam’s sprawled form, his head bent at an odd angle as though it’d been snapped. Dean wasn’t sure where he was bleeding from, but he was soaked in red and laid there, unmoving.

Having seen enough, Dean guided Charlie back to the main room. He was surprised to see that Balthazar had returned. The man stood at the window, gazing worriedly outside and looking deeply troubled.

First, Dean helped Charlie over to Benny. He then stormed over to Balthazar and grabbed the man’s shoulder, roughly turning him around. He saw Gadreel jump to his feet, out of the corner of his eye, as though the man was worried Dean would hurt Balthazar. Dean ignored that for the moment, he had bigger problems to deal with right now.

“Balthazar,” Dean said, tone dangerously calm. “You’re going to tell me what’s going on, and you’re going to do it quickly.”

Balthazar gulped and nodded frantically, raising his hands in the air as a show of peace. Dean eyed him closely, but stepped back and gave the man some room.

“We had a rough childhood,” Balthazar said. Dean figured that was a major understatement. “Castiel never got over it. Recently he began acting out, killing game when it wasn’t necessary, starting arguments with Gabriel over nothing. After his fight with Gabriel at lunch… I think he’s finally snapped.”

Dean frowned. “But he seemed fine this afternoon.”

Balthazar shook his head slowly. “He’s… good at hiding his problems.”

“Okay, fine. All of that aside,” Benny interrupted as he approached. “Why the hell haven’t we called the police yet?”

“I said that our phones didn’t have reception,” Charlie explained. “And Balthazar said that he couldn’t get the landline to work, either.”

“Castiel must have cut the lines,” Balthazar added.

Dean huffed, frustrated with their apparent lack of options. “Well then, someone’s going to have to drive out of here and get help.”

“That will take too long,” Gadreel said. “Kevin might be dead by the time we get back.”

“I know.” Dean turned back to Balthazar. “That’s why I said _someone_. Balthazar, you take Charlie and go get help. Zeke, Benny and I can go see if we can stall for time.”

“No way!” Charlie shouted. “I’m not leaving Kevin behind!”

Dean looked to the others for help, but they all appeared indifferent. So he sighed and said to Charlie, “It’s your choice, but just know that I don’t want you coming with us.”

Charlie shrugged and lead the way out of the room before Dean could stop her

“Dean,” Charlie said and grabbed his arm. They were only a few feet out from the graveyard, and Dean was anxious to find Kevin. “Can I have your knife?”

 _Fuck_ , Dean thought. He glanced at Benny and mentally cursed again as he realised that the other two hadn’t brought weapons with them. Seriously? Did they not even _consider_ arming themselves? Benny, Dean could kind of understand-- the guy was a big softy-- but Charlie was a hardcore LARPer. She should’ve at least grabbed a knife like Dean had.

“So, can I have it?” Charlie repeated.

Dean huffed. “Yeah, sure.”

He handed it over and she took it, studying the blade. Dean turned to examine the graveyard, wondering if he could locate Kevin from out here.

“Look out!” Dean heard Charlie shout suddenly, and he turned just in time to watch as an arrow lodged itself in Benny’s chest. Blood began to spurt out in thick, scarlet rivulets as Benny collapsed, first dropping to his knees and then falling backwards.

“Benny!” Dean called and rushed over to the man. He landed on his knees, grabbing onto Benny and cradling his head before it hit the floor.

Benny blinked up at him, eyes not quite focusing on Dean’s face. “Brother?”

“Benny, it’s me. Just hang in there, alright? Hang in there!”

Despite Dean’s blatant begging, Benny’s eyes slid shut as he exhaled for the last time.

“Don’t you dare,” Dean warned as he shifted his grip on the man. “Don’t you _dare_ die on me, Benny.”

He went to feel for a pulse, but suddenly Charlie’s hand was there on Benny’s neck. “He’s gone,” she declared, sounding almost… resigned.

Gadreel looked down at Dean and put a hand on his shoulder. “Dean, we have to go.”

Dean swallowed and gently, _oh-so gently_ , he lowered Benny to the ground.

He then stood and started to continue onwards, but then faltered as he felt a bolt of fury shoot through him.

“Sam’s dead, Benny’s dead–” Dean jerked to a stop and yelled, “How many more people are going to die tonight?”

At his sudden increase in volume, Charlie and Zeke flinched. Out of the corner of his eye, he could’ve sworn Benny’s corpse flinched as well.

That settled it. Dean was going insane.

“Hopefully no one,” Charlie replied, finally. She then held out her hand.

He sighed, but took her hand and together they walked into the graveyard.

The floor was covered with fog that, in some areas, swallowed up his knees. The moon above did a fair job of lighting the area in a pale glow. Dean looked down row after row of headstones, and nearly jumped out of his skin when Charlie put her hand on his shoulder.

“I think we should split up.”

Dean shot her a look so bland he feared his eyes would dry up up fall out. “You’re kidding,” he stated, leaving no room for argument.

Charlie rolled her eyes, lips twitching. Dean caught the motion before she could hide it with a turn of her head.

“We’ll find Kevin quicker this way,” she continued. “This place is huge.”

“Charlie!” He hissed as she darted away from him. He tried to grab her, but she was too fast. “Dammit, Charlie!” He cursed as she disappeared around a cluster of memorial statues.

“You find Kevin. I’ll go after her,” Zeke said. He started to move forward, and Dean grabbed his elbow before he could disappear like Charlie had.

He wanted to tell Zeke that they had to stick together, but something told him that if they did that then Kevin would have no chance. If Zeke went after Charlie and kept her safe, then Dean could keep looking for Kevin.

“You need to be careful,” Dean said. Forcing his throat not to close up, he said, “I can’t lose _anyone_ else, okay?”

Gadreel’ eyes flickered shut for a moment, and then not meeting Dean’s gaze he replied, “I’ll be careful.”

Dean didn’t like letting him go, but he had to trust that Gadreel would take care of Charlie– that they would take care of each other.

He continued to search through the graveyard again, starting to lose hope that he’d end up finding Kevin alive. Dean was just making his way back to the center of the graveyard from the corner he’d ended up in, when the sound of something like a chainsaw revved to life in the distance. It was coming from the complete opposite area of where he was.

He started sprinting towards the sound, even though there was no way he’d make it in time, but then there was a scream and a shout and Dean froze.

A moment later, the chainsaw shut off.

 _They’re fine_ , Dean thought to himself, definitely not in denial. He continued down the path he’d started on, and when he reached the end of it...

“Kevin!” Dean shouted as he caught sight of the boy, sitting at the steps of a mausoleum. He looked badly injured, with a stream of blood dripping down from his hairline, but he was _alive_. He wasn’t too late!

As he made his way over, his gaze caught on a glint of metal to his right. Dean’s steps faltered as he registered that it was a shotgun that rested against the gravestone. He’d given his weapon to Charlie, and hell, even if the thing didn’t fire he could still use it as a blunt instrument.

When he picked it up, he immediately knew that something was off. The weight of it didn’t feel right. It was too light, and the gun felt too flimsy to be made of real steel.

John had been the one to introduce him to guns, but it was Bobby that had taught him the true art of firearms.

Dean checked for the safety and found a knob that didn’t do anything. As he was fiddling around, the break-action split with ease and Dean frowned as looked inside the weapon.

It certainly didn’t look like any shotgun he’d ever come across.

Dean’s gaze narrowed at the springs within the mechanism and then spied a length of red fabric that was completely out of place. Curious, he tugged on it. As he pulled the fabric out fully, it unfurled to reveal a red flag with the word ‘BANG’ written across it, emphasised with a bright, yellow, spiky outline. Surprised, he dropped it to the fog-coated floor and it disappeared under the swirling white mist.

In an instant, connections began to form in Dean’s brain. Why would there be a prank shotgun in the middle of the graveyard, perfectly in place for him to use on any assailant he came across? And, if they had access to a prank shotgun, why not a prank arrow? He’d seen a device like that on House M.D. Benny could’ve been wearing it, Benny _might not be dead_.

A tirade of memories flowed through his mind. He’d never gotten to check Benny’s pulse, and if he wasn’t _actually_ dead it would explain why his ‘dead’ body had flinched at Dean’s shout. Though, Dean has no idea why Benny would pull something like that– Especially at a time like this...

Unless he wasn’t the only one with a plan.

What if this was all some big… orchestrated nightmare.

He’d never checked if anyone was _actually_ dead; not Gabriel, nor Adam, nor _Sam_.

But… Why would they fake their own deaths?

Maybe it was some kind of trick against Dean. Not that Dean was so self-conceited he’d think they’d go to such lengths to mess with him. Then again, it would explain why Charlie had darted off on her own so stupidly, and why everyone was so against Cas when the guy was fucking _adorable_ with his clear blue eyes and his birdsnest of black hair and his–

(Dean buried that train of thought deep down into his _very manly_ and _totally dignified_ brain.)

It would also explain why they’d all avoided him this whole trip because this wasn’t _actually_ a normal trip.

The sound of a chainsaw revving to life caused Dean’s head to snap up. Castiel was standing at the top of the steps to the mausoleum, right _friggin’_ in front of him. He wore an expression of malevolence and looked pretty damn terrifying with his bloody trench coat and gore-coated chainsaw.

It became clear to Dean, then, of what they expected him to do. He was supposed to shoot the gun at the chainsaw wielding, serial killer groundskeeper and ‘save the day’. Just to try it out, Dean lifted the gun, locked the chamber back in place and aimed it at Castiel.

A look of hurt flashed across Castiel’s face, but he didn’t move from the line of fire.

Hell, Dean must’ve just been standing there, staring at the shotgun, for a good five minutes and Castiel hadn’t even _tried_ to attack. It would’ve been the perfect opportunity, too.

He stared at the man for a moment longer. As the moonlight hit Castiel’s face just right, Dean saw it. There was a look in his eyes, a warning, a reassurance, a _promise_.

Deciding on what he was going to do, Dean roared and charged at Castiel.

His move seemed to startle the man, and he heard a shout behind him but paid it no mind as he collided with Castiel. He shoved Cas back into the mausoleum and then turned and jammed the door shut behind them.

Dean was panting hard, and he took a moment to collect his thoughts. He heard the sound of the chainsaw stutter and die, and then there was a thunk as, presumably, Castiel dropped it to the ground.

Mind made up, he turned around to face his nightmare head on.

“Is Sam dead?” Dean asked, crowding in on the man. When Castiel didn’t say anything, just watched Dean with a too-wide gaze, Dean demanded, “Tell me that he’s not _actually_ dead!”

For a moment longer, Castiel just stared at him, and then he sighed as though _Dean_ was the one being dramatic. “No, he’s not dead.”

Dean felt like the world finally made sense again, like the sun had risen after weeks of having to live off of moonlight. He felt like he could _breathe_ again.

“Good,” was all Dean said, before slumping against a coffin behind him.

Castiel eyed him for a while, examining him up and down. Dean shifted awkwardly under the man’s burning, cerulean gaze.

“Are you going to kill me?” he asked, finally.

“What?” Dean exclaimed, sounding impossibly loud in the tiny space they shared. “God, no.” Dean scratched the back of his neck, feeling kind of embarrassed as he admitted, “I never even considered it.”

“Even when you thought that I killed your brother?”

Dean, feeling suddenly guilty, ducked his gaze. “I… I was too focused on getting Kevin back.”

Castiel stared at him as though he could see right through Dean, into his very thoughts and right to his very soul. “Well, I’m glad.”

“You’re glad?” Dean asked, and then chuckled at Castiel’s hesitant expression. “So what was this? No one’s dead? My friends are okay?”

“Yes,” Castiel said. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he stopped himself. At Dean’s accusatory gaze, the groundskeeper admitted, “I’m really not supposed to say anything yet.”

Confused, but too relieved to know that his brother and his friends were okay, he let the matter drop. Rather than waste this perfect opportunity, Dean stood and approached Castiel once again.

“So,” Dean said. He smirked, because if he didn’t bring some humor to life _right now_ he feared he might just break down into a hysterical mix of laughing and sobbing. “What _do_ you do when you’re not working here?”

Castiel’s lips twitched, and then _amazingly_ the man smiled. It was a cute look on his perfect face, one that he’d wished he’d seen sooner. Dean felt his gaze drawn to the man’s mouth. Not that Castiel seemed to notice. He began to list things off in a rush of breath, as though he’d kept everything bottled up inside for too long. “I work at a library. I live in an apartment and spend my free time watching crappy soap operas. I have two cats and–”

Dean cut him off with a kiss.

At first, Castiel seemed too startled to react. Dean didn’t give a damn. He reached up and carded his fingers through the man’s hair (he’d been wanting to do that for a while), pressed their mouths closer and encouraged the other man to join in.

After a few moments of hesitation, Castiel did.

They were swiftly making their way through first and second base when the door suddenly slammed open.

Dean didn’t even bother springing apart from Castiel, he just sighed and regrettably took a step back. With extreme reluctance, he turned to face their intruders.

Everyone was standing there (previously dead friends included), staring at Dean and Castiel. Balthazar took one look at them and turned to his obviously not-dead brother. “Pay up, I won.”

Gabriel grumbled something under his breath and reached into his pocket, handing over a small wad of cash. The man looked to be in good shape, no longer soaked in his own ‘blood’, and was definitely _not dead_. He’d even managed to change into a fresh set of clothes.

So had most of the group, actually.

A not dead Adam hovered at the back of the pack, hands tucked in his pockets and looking sheepish. Kevin stood next to him and had wiped most of the ‘blood’ off of his forehead. Charlie and Gadreel, both perfectly fine (from what Dean could tell), stood next to an alive Benny who did not have a massive arrow protruding from his chest.

Dean’s breath faltered as he caught sight of Sam.

“Hey, Dean,” Sam said, sounding anxious. He offered a hesitant smile. “Surprise?”

Dean took one long look at his brother, confirming that _yes_ he was alive and _no_ he hadn’t died in a pool of his own blood. He then grabbed hold of the door and shut it without saying a single word.

“Now,” Dean began, turning back to a flustered Castiel. “Where were we?”

* * *

EPILOGUE

* * *

“Well, it was sort of supposed to be a prank, but was also supposed be cool for you.” Sam started to explain as he leaned forward from the couch. “You’d get to be a hero and everything. I mean, of course we couldn’t let you actually _hurt_ Castiel--”

“That didn't end up being a problem anyway,” Benny teased from where he stood behind the sofa. Dean shot him a scathing look, to which the man held up his hands in surrender.

“Um, but yeah.” Sam gestured in an ‘I’m totally innocent please don’t hate me’ kind of way. “There was a script and everything. Plus all the intricate props and SFX.”

“Benny flinched,” Dean told them, unimpressed. “And I think I saw Adam breathing for a second.”

“Hey!” Adam yelped, looking discouraged. “I tried my best. It’s hard to hold your breath.”

“I had to soak in a tub full of kool-aid and _you’re_ complaining about having to hold your breath for a few seconds?” Sam fired back.

The two then began to argue on who had the harder job. Dean felt bile rise in his throat because, _hello_ , he’d actually thought they were dead. It wasn’t a joke to him.

Everyone had gathered in the main lodge to explain things to Dean. Everyone except the three brothers who’d been running this shit show. Dean had gotten a few more _blessed_ minutes of peace with Castiel before he’d been dragged away.

He hoped Cas would still want to talk to him once all was said and done.

Sensing eyes on him, Dean turned to see Gadreel watching him with an upset expression marring his face. Dean glanced at the rest of the group, who were all bickering now about their assigned parts, before sliding over to where Gadreel sat.

“Hey,” Dean greeted. “You okay?”

“Are _you_ okay?” Gadreel countered.

Dean plastered on a smile. “I’m just _swell_.”

Gadreel scoffed and obviously didn't believe it, but he refrained from discussing the matter further. Dean was glad. If he was pressed hard enough, he worried that he just might shatter. “I am sorry for these past two days. I did not want to join in but Sam said you would enjoy it. He _convinced_ me that you would.” Gadreel sighed. “When I realised that you were not, I should have stopped it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dean consoled. “I’m kind of honored that you all would go to such efforts to prank me.”

“Well… It did not work out exactly as we had hoped.” Gadreel met Dean’s gaze. “You were not supposed to want to… _befriend_ the groundskeeper.”

Dean shrugged and offered the man a smirk. “I don’t often follow the rules.”

* * *

Before they left the next morning, Dean went to find Castiel.

There was no way he was leaving without at least getting a goodbye… at best, a goodbye kiss and a phone number.

Dean found the man in the stables, grooming Hannah and looking serene. He was still wearing a trenchcoat, (one that wasn’t soaked in blood,) but beneath it Dean could make out what seemed to be a sweater with cute bees on it.

“How is she today?” Dean asked.

Without looking up, Castiel answered, “She’s good. A little moody, I think she needs to be taken for a ride.”

Dean stared at the man and ever so slowly arched a single brow. Castiel looked over at him, probably wondering why Dean hadn’t responded. When he saw the look on Dean’s face, his ears tinged pink ( _adorable_ ) and he ducked his gaze.

“So…” Dean leaned against the gate and grinned at the man. “What’s the verdict on those horse-riding lessons?”

“It depends,” Castiel said. “Where do you live?”

“All I need to do to get a free lesson is give you my address?” Dean asked. “I feel like that would’ve been part of the deal anyway.”

Cas shot him an unimpressed look.

“Alright, alright.” Dean smiled. “Sam got into Stanford, so we moved to Palo Alto not too long ago-” Dean saw Castiel’s eyes widen ever so slightly. “-How about you?”

“Belmont,” he said.

Dean’s grin widened. “That’s close to where I live.”

Castiel’s blush extended to his cheeks. “I know.”

Dean loved the fact that he could make the man blush. He was learning a whole new side to the man, one he had only caught mere glimpses of the past few days.

“Tell you what,” Dean began after a beat. “How about you give me your number, and when you’re back in Belmont, we can catch up.”

“Dean… I don’t know–”

Dean carried on, aiming for casual. “If you’re worried I’m only into you because you can play the role of a serial killer, then I can assure you that that’s not the case.”

Castiel’s eyes went wide and he began to stammer, “No, of course not– I didn’t think that– I just–” He cut himself off and took a breath, steeling himself. “I’m not really a “casual hook-ups” kind of guy.”

Dean didn’t process Castiel’s words at first. He was too hung up on the fact that the guy has actually made _air quotes_ … with his fingers. Then, once he did process Castiel’s words, a spark of hope burst to life inside of Dean’s chest.

“That’s good to know, Cas.” Dean smirked as he stared into Castiel’s impossibly blue eyes. “Because neither am I.”

_fin_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! You can find me here, or on [tumblr @tahmoh](http://gxdreel.co.vu/).  
> Depending on the response this story receives, I may also write a prequel and/or extra epilogue/bonus chap. We'll see.


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